Come Back to Me
by make.tracks.cowboy11
Summary: What happens when, after four years of being away, Danny returns and finds Lindsay's life completely changed? read the first chapter to find out more : rated for language and possibly fun stuff later on ;
1. Chapter 1

Lindsay Monroe paced back and forth across her living room. How could this have happened? Four years ago, when he had left, she thought she could get her life back on track. But now that he was back, she didn't know what she was going to do. As she was stopped in front of the fireplace, she looked down at a pair of big blue eyes, ones that reminded her of him. The owner of the eyes, the tiny child standing at her feet, was the one constant reminder of him that she had in her life. But now that he was making a grand reappearance, she knew that there would be much more to come.

"Why are you so sad, mommy?" came the small voice of her four year old daughter Bailey.

She picked the little girl up and pondered how exactly she was going to explain this to a child; how would this little girl understand all the pain and turmoil that was brought upon her when he had left, and now that he was returning, all the frustration that was returning? She let out a sigh, and, sitting on the couch with the girl on her lap, attempted to put it in layman's terms.

"Mommy's not sad sweetie, she's just…confused."

"Well why are you confused?"

She smiled at her daughter's innocence, her inquisitiveness. She was so much like her father, a thought that both amazed and terrified Lindsay. Looking into those blue eyes that were without a doubt swimming with curiosity, she wondered what exactly could be going through his mind. It had, in fact, been some time since they had seen each other. She knew she would most likely break down at the sight of him. Those blue eyes, so deep and full of wonder, and yet, so mysterious. That look he always gave her that told her she was his, like he was staking his claim. The way he could make her melt at just a single touch. Those countless memories they shared together. She knew she would crumble at his feet and break down like she had when she had found out he was never coming back.

Or, so she thought.

Now, she was torn between two decisions. Stay with this safe and happy life she had created with her beautiful daughter and have no problems, or face him, and risk having that all destroyed. She was going to have to choose, and she was going to have to choose fast, because he knew where she was. He had, after all, worked in the same crime lab and shared the same apartment. Hell, they'd shared the same bed, up until that night. But she was certain that after a while, he'd come looking for her, and when he did, she had no idea what she was going to do. So for now, she settled on the task at hand: lying to her daughter, an innocent casualty in all of this. She hated lying to this little girl; she meant the world to her, and she hated having to blatantly lie to her face when the truth of the matter was, the child wouldn't understand what was going on in the first place.

"Mommy just…she just has a lot going on at work right now sweetie. It's nothing to be worried about, I'm just fine. Now, why don't you go get your pajamas on and we'll watch that movie like I promised."

"Okay!" Bailey exclaimed excitedly. Just like that, she was turned away from the subject of her mother's discomfort. "Can we have popcorn and everything?" She had that look on her face, the same one he used to give her when he really wanted her to give in to something. The look that, no matter how hard she tried, she could never refuse. If there was one thing she wished the child hadn't inherited, it was that look. It worked every time.

"Of course we can kiddo, but first, into those pj's."

And before Lindsay could utter another word, the little girl was running down the hall to her bedroom, rummaging through her bedroom for her favorite pair of "The Flash" pajamas.

As she put the bag of popcorn in the microwave, she began to wonder. Was this going to be their last night of peace? Would him coming back ruin everything she had tried to build up over the past four years? No. She wouldn't let that happen. She had sacrificed too much, and she wasn't about to tear her little girl's life apart.

The microwave went off at the same time Bailey appeared, clad in full Flash attire, right down to her slippers. Lindsay emptied the popcorn out into a bowl and walked it over to the little girl, who was standing in front of their collection of DVDs, pondering which one she wanted to watch. With one eyebrow quirked and her arms folded, she glanced over at her mother who was now kneeling down next to her.

"Which one do you think we should watch, mommy?"

"Well, I don't know sweetie, which one do you want to watch tonight?"

"Hmm…What about the one where the Flash helps that kid who steals the computers?" She had an unsure look on her face. Bailey and Lindsay had watched the entire collection of The Flash at least a dozen times, but she was still amazed by every episode, like it was one she had never seen before.

Laughing quietly, Lindsay replied, "Bay, we've seen all of them, why don't we watch something else? How about Finding Nemo tonight?"

"Okay!" She replied, as if it was no problem at all. She jumped into her mom's arms as they cuddled together on the couch under Bailey's Disney Princess blanket. It amazed Lindsay just how surprising her daughter's interests were. She played with Barbies as much as she liked to toss around a baseball. But she was truly a blessing, and as the movie started, and the little girl fell asleep in her arms, Lindsay thanked God for every day she spent with her daughter. She stared down into that precious little face and, brushing her blonde hair our of her eyes, wondered what she would have done had she have never been created. She would have been left in her big, empty apartment alone, with nothing but the memories she would much rather forget. And now, it was all coming back to her.

_Oh well_, she thought to herself. _I'll have time to deal with it. For now, I'll just enjoy what little peace I have left_.

That time was coming sooner than she expected.

As the movie was coming to a close, with Nemo finally being reunited with his father, her cell phone vibrated on the table next to her. Trying not to disturb the sleeping child cradled against her chest, she carefully picked it up and started at the screen.

Her heart began to race as she read the name in front of her.

_New Text Message from Danny Messer._

It was as if the world was at a stand still. She began jumping to outrageous conclusions as she pondered what her next move should be. What was she supposed to do now? Pick up and leave? No. She wouldn't run scared. She knew she had to face this. She wouldn't run away like a frightened child. No. She couldn't. She had to face him head on. As terrified as she was, she had to do this. Sure, it had been four years since they had last seen each other, and yes, she had no idea what she was going to say to him, but she knew she had to see him and confront him about what had happened. And then it hit her.

He had no idea that he had a daughter.

Staring at the child sleeping in her arms, the tears began to fall from her eyes.

What was she going to do?


	2. Chapter 2

hey all :)

thanks for all the comments ! it really made my day to come back to such a good response after only one day of being up and only one chapter being written.

this is the second chapter, sorry, but its another cliffhanger, and unfortunately its not going to be updated until late next week because im gettin out of here and going on vacation for spring break :)

but dont worry, i'll have my pen and paper with me so i can update as soon as i get home. i hate leavin you all hanging !

as always, hope you enjoy the next chapter, and if you have any questions, feel free to PM me :)

ps--if im not mistaken, are some of you commenters from DLchem ? i have this posted over there too, and i thought i recognized some of your names...

enjoy ;)

Chapter 2

Her cell phone had been going off for over an hour now.

After she had received the initial message, she had tried to distract herself by doing busy work around the house. After turning the movie off, she put Bailey to bed, making sure she was tucked in extra tight and that her Batman night light was on. She tidied up the clothes that lat strewn across the floor and reorganized the books on the bookshelf, as well as the stuffed animals in the basket at the end of the little girl's bed. Not wanting to wake the sleeping child, she finally left her room and returned to the living room where she set to work on the various blankets and pillows that were out of place, not to mention the empty popcorn bowl and juice boxes that were on the ground in front of the couch.

After doing all the dishes in the dishwasher, she finally came to the conclusion that the only way to stop the continuous messages was to reply. Staring over at her phone, she contemplated turning it off for the night.

"No," she thought out loud, "I have to do this."

_12 New Text Messages from Danny Messer_.

"God, he doesn't give up, does he?" That was something she had always liked about him. As much as it had often annoyed her, she loved how persistent he was; never giving up until he got what he wanted. And as much as it scared her now, she couldn't help but nervously laugh before reluctantly picking up her cell phone.

As she opened it up, the tears began to fall before she had even read the first message.

_Montana,_

_I'll bet I'm the last person you'd ever expect to hear from, huh? Well, truth is, I can't stop thinking about you. Ever since I left, you've been the one and only thing on my mind. I don't know how I've done it for four years, but I just can't do it anymore. I gotta see you Linds._

_x D_

She dropped the phone.

Without even realizing the enormous clatter it made as it bounced from table, to chair, to floor, she buried her head in her hands, curled into a ball, and began to sob. She couldn't do it. She wasn't as strong as she had thought she was. After everything that had happened, for him to just contact her out of the blue like this was too much for her to handle.

It had been a good fifteen minutes before she regained enough of her composure to look up. When she did, a sleepy looking Bailey was standing before her, holding a teddy bear in one hand and gently stroking her mother's hair with the other. Lindsay hadn't even noticed her standing there; the clatter from the falling phone must have awoken the sleeping girl.

"It's okay, mommy, don't be sad. Nemo's okay, he was only pretending to be dead so the dentist would flush him down the toilet and he could be with his daddy again. You don't have to be sad anymore, right?" Bailey said with a worried look in her eye. The little girl was now wiping the tears away from Lindsay's eyes, which only made them fall just as hard. Pulling Bailey into her lap, Lindsay tried to regain enough sanity to calm the child down.

"I know sweetie, I know. It just gets me every time. But I'm all better now, see?" she replied half-heartedly, trying to stop her tears long enough to convince Bailey that all was well.

"Okay then, good. Cause I hate seeing you sad mommy. It makes me sad too."

"Aww, baby girl," she said as she pulled her closer into her chest. "Do you know how much I love you?"

"More than the stars," the little girl replied as she let out a yawn.

"That's right," Lindsay said, "more than the stars."

Noticing that she had drifted back off to sleep, Lindsay carried Bailey back to her bed, and placed a light kiss on her forehead. She sat on the edge of the bed, watching her tiny chest rise and fall. How lucky she was, Lindsay thought, to be so carefree and completely oblivious to the world around her. She waited five more minutes before she quietly closed the door and returned to the kitchen. By this time, it was 1:45 AM, and she was completely exhausted. Picking up her phone, she closed out of the text messages and turned the phone off. She had had enough for one night. She would deal with this tomorrow. Making sure the doors were all locked up for the night, she shut off all the lights and retreated back to room for a night of restless sleep.

-----------

After a mere two and a half hours of sleep, Lindsay awoke to the sound of tiny footsteps scampering across the floor. It was Saturday, her day off, and the only day of the week that she could have entirely to spend on her and Bailey. It was only 7:30, but she knew Bailey had been looking forward to this day all week. Forcing herself out of bed, she pulled on her robe and made her way to the kitchen where she saw the little girl kneeling on a stool by the phone, immersed in conversation.

"…and we're gonna have chocolate chip pancakes with lots of syrup, and maybe even whipped cream, and then we're gonna go to the zoo and see the dolphins and the tigers and the bears! But mommy said if it rains, we could go to the movies or maybe the museum or something. Doesn't that sound like fun?!"

Lindsay chuckled at the enthusiasm in the young girl's voice. "Who are you talking to, sweetie?"

"It's Uncle Flack! He says we're gonna have a lot of fun today."

"Well, he's right, we sure are, aren't we kiddo? But if we're going to do any of that fun stuff, we'd better get ready first."

"Okay. But Uncle Flack wants to talk to you first. He says it's 'portant. I'll get the chocolate chips ready while you two _talk_," she said, trying to be as serious as a four year old could be as she handed her mother the phone.

"That kid is a trip," came the voice of Don Flack for the other end of the line.

"I know, you gotta love her," Lindsay replied, smiling as she glanced over at her daughter, who was now skipping around the kitchen, humming some made up tune as she gathered the supplies to make her favorite Saturday morning breakfast.

"So what did you need? And more importantly, what are you doing up at 7:30 on a Saturday morning? Don't you usually sleep in on the weekends like a normal person?"

"Actually Linds, there's something I gotta talk to you about." She could sense the nervousness in his voice as he spoke.

"Okay, what is it?"

There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and Lindsay began to become worried.

"Don, what is it?"

"…Okay look, I don't exactly know how to tell you this, so I'm just gonna come right out and say it. Linds, he's here. He's at my apartment. I know I told you he wouldn't be here for another week or so, but he showed up last night on my doorstep half drunk looking for a place to crash. And he hasn't stopped talking about you. All he wanted to do at 3 o'clock this morning was to go and see you. I've been up with him half the night crying. He misses you Linds, and he's really bent out of shape about all of this. I know he's the last person you wanna see, but I don't know how long I'm gonna be able to keep him away from you. I'll try my hardest, but he's a big boy, and you know in the end he's not gonna listen to me."

Lindsay's face went white as a sheet. It took all her strength just to keep herself standing. The little girl rummaging through the refrigerator was the only reason she wasn't currently on the floor in a ball, like she had been the night before.

He was closer than she thought.

There was no way to stop him now.

Sooner or later he would come knocking on her door like a lost puppy, wanting to explain himself, begging for her forgiveness.

Oh how she wished it would be later rather than sooner.

"Hey Linds, look, he's waking up again, and he's got one nasty hangover. I gotta go. But don't worry kid, this is all gonna work out in the end, I promise you. Just go enjoy your day with that beautiful little girl of yours and don't worry about any of this. I've got it all under control. You'll be fine, I swear, okay?"

She'd be fine?

She almost laughed back at him.

She would never be fine, especially now that he was back in her life. They had let too much happen to let things between them ever be the same again, she was almost certain of it. But she was going to take Flack's advice; she would spend the day with Bailey and try to put all of this behind her. For today at least. If anyone could get her mind off of Danny, ironically enough, it was his daughter. The cheerfulness and bright outlook the child had about life was all Lindsay needed to get her through a tough day. That was what she had always looked forward to coming home to after a long day at work. Especially in the beginning, when Bailey was and infant and she thought things couldn't get much worse, the child had proved her wrong, and had showed her that there was still hope, still so much more to live for, and that she shouldn't let one little mistake bring her down.

"_Lindsay? …Flack, is that Lindsay?"_

She faintly made out his voice in the background of the call.

It was all suddenly real to her. Hearing his voice had put all things into perspective. Her heart rose into her throat as she tried to hold back the tears. It had been so long since she had heard him say her name, but now, now was not the time for it to happen.

"Hey, Monroe, I really gotta go. Hang in there kiddo, you'll make it through this. You're tougher than anyone I know. Stay strong for that little girl of yours."

"Thanks Don…" was all she could muster.

"_Monroe? That's Lindsay, Don let me talk to her, let me talk to her--" _was the last she heard of him when the phone clicked off. Not wanting to break down for the third time in 24 hours, especially not in front of Bailey, she mechanically went to work on making the pancakes.

-----------

Danny Messer was on his knees, pleading with Flack to let him have the phone.

"Don, you don't understand, I gotta tell her how sorry I am," he said in between sobs. The tears were still fresh on his face from the night before, as was the scent of alcohol on his breath and down the front of his shirt. In short, Danny was a wreck. And he had no one to blame but himself.

"I can't let you do that Messer. You've put this girl through hell; you can't just waltz back into town and expect her to want to see you again just like that."

"Flack, I gotta see her, I just gotta…I love her Flack…I love her…"

With that statement, he curled up at Don's feet as fresh tears sprang from his eyes.

"I know Mess, I know."

Don patted him on the back, and pulled up a chair from his kitchen table. As he straddled it backwards, he put his head in his hands and let out a long sigh.

They were his best friends.

He had to help them fix this, he just had to.

But how in the hell was he supposed to do that?


	3. Chapter 3

hey my readers :)

well, my vacation was pretty awesome. it was a lot warmer where i was than here, haha. but im glad to be back, i got back just in time for the new csi last night :)

and like i promised, i brought my notebook with me and worked on the next chapter.

i know youre all wondering what happened with Danny and Lindsay 4 years ago, and i promise im trying to work that in. it'll be up within the next couple chapters, i promise !

but for now, here's the next chapter, and i know you'll all be throwing m&m's at me when youre done reading, but it'll all be better in the end, promise :)

enjoy (:

Chapter 3

It was his turn to pace.

After crying until his tear ducts were beyond dry, and almost banging a hole in the floor of Flack's kitchen, he had finally calmed down enough to clean himself up. He took a shower, washing away the scent of alcohol and the tear stains, and afterwards, took a good, long look in the mirror. He had to do it; facing himself was the only way to start this trip down a hellish memory lane. He had to force himself to down the man that had left her standing alone in that apartment, the face that had brought so much turmoil into her life without causing him any of the after effects. That selfish, egotistic, arrogant face that had refused to accept defeat, that wouldn't let her in when he had needed her the most. In his time of need, he had turned her away, thinking it would be better for the both of them. But he was wrong.

God, was he wrong.

He had pushed her away when he needed her the most, in turn, hurting the both of them so deeply, he was afraid it was beyond repair. She was his rock, his anchor, and she had tried so hard to accept that fact that he had needed time. Obviously, the time he took had been far too much. How could he have been so stupid? He was dug in deep, and now, he was finally on his way of digging himself out. He had to comprise a way to approach this situation in the right manner; he had to do it in a way that wouldn't make her scared of him for good, but he also had to approach this aggressively. He wasn't going to let her go again, he had made that mistake once in his life already, and he sure as hell wasn't going to make it again. How exactly he was going to win her back, he was still unsure of.

So for now, he was pacing.

"Messer, what the hell are you doing, you're gonna put a hole through my floor."

"I'm just thinkin' Flack. I like to walk when I think, helps the creative juices flow better."

"Oh, so you're getting creative on me now? Don't go doing anything stupid, Danny. If you hurt Lindsay again, you know I will personally hunt you down and pummel your ass."

"No no, I know that Don, that's exactly why I'm thinkin. I gotta figure out a way to do this. I mean, what if she doesn't wanna see me? What if she won't talk to me Flack?"

"I don't think that's a 'what if' type of question, Danny. I know as well as you do that she's not gonna wanna talk to you or see you, right away anyway. You've just gotta give her time. You guys loved each other, you were crazy for each other, and I don't think any of that's changed. You just gotta give her the time to find that in herself again. When you left, she buried all feelings for you away. You really hurt her Dan. And now, she's just gotta get used to the fact that you're back in her life. Just give her time, I'm sure she'll come around."

The tears began to brim in Danny's eyes once again. He knew what Flack was saying was only the truth, he had hurt her, and she was probably going to slam the door more than once in his face before she finally accepted his presence.

"I know that Don, and you really don't understand how much it's killing me inside. I love her, I love her so much, and I hate that I hurt her and that she had to suffer like this. God, why'd I have to do it, Don?"

"I don't know Danny. I can't make your decisions for you. When you chose not to come back after that first month, we were all shocked, but none of us were gonna force you to come home. We just had to move on with our lives."

And right then, Don realized that at some point, he had to tell Danny about the man who had come to replace him.

He had to tell him about Cameron.

-----------

"Mommy, look!" Bailey and Lindsay were enjoying a sunny, spring day at Bronx Zoo. She was completely enthralled by all the sights and sounds of the zoo; the animals, the food, just the overall experience was enough to make the smile on the little girl's face larger than life. Her eyes grew wider at ever corner they turned, and the fact that Bailey was having so much fun just made Lindsay's day that much more enjoyably. Just the sight of her daughter made her laugh. There was a mix of cotton candy, chocolate ice cream, and caramel corn all completely covering her face. After an hour of pouting, Lindsay had given in and had bought her a giraffe hat that was easily two-and-a-half foot tall, and that on her head was enough to make anyone giggle. They had made their way through majority of the zoo by three o'clock, making sure they had seen all of Bailey's favorite exhibits: they had seen the bears, the reptiles, the birds and the monkeys, and after much argument, Lindsay was eventually dragged into the mouse house. She never understood why her daughter had such a fascination with rodents, but she was determined to never have one living in her house.

They were getting to the point in the day where Bailey was about to crash. She was at that stage when she argued that naps were no longer necessary, but in the end she would always end up asleep in the backseat of the car. Nonetheless, the little girl was getting restless and Lindsay could see that she needed some rest. It had, after all been an exhausting day. After breakfast, Bailey had coaxed Lindsay into taking her to Toys 'R Us. Something about a new Flash action figure, and the fact that she "had to have it before Tommy from her preschool class did or she'd get picked on" was enough to convince Lindsay to take the trip. From there, Lindsay had to get her car washed, and lucky for her, Bailey loved to watch the colorful soap lather up on the hood of the car, so there was no fussing when she had brought the subject up. Bailey had opted out of eating at the zoo, telling her mom "I won't be able to eat with that funky smell around me." They had, instead, chosen to eat at the Burger King down the street. Finally arriving at the zoo, the pair had spent the day relaxing and enjoying the animals. Now the only thing left to do was to see Bailey's favorite animal, the tigers.

Lindsay had dreaded coming here all day. It was, in fact, the place where her first case had been, the place where she had first seen Danny. It was sure to strike a nerve in her. But thinking back to Flack's advice, she looked down at the excited little girl jumping and pointing at the tiger cage, grabbing her hand and pulling her forward.

She couldn't help but smile.

-----------

"What if I took her to dinner on the Brooklyn Bridge, and had a bottle of champagne a red roses and the whole deal set up, and then got down on my knees and begged?"

Danny was still pacing around Flack's apartment. At this point, he was desperate to try anything, and if that meant stopping traffic in Brooklyn, he'd get it done somehow.

"Danny, listen to yourself. How in the hell are you gonna manage to get that done?"

"Ah, you're right, bad idea. It'd have to be wine wouldn't it?"

At this, Flack turned and gave him a look like he should be thrown in a mental institution. Danny had already been through two notepads of paper trying to come up with ideas on how to try and win Lindsay back, all of them winding up in a crumpled heap on the floor in Don's kitchen.

"Danny, I know you're desperate here, but come on. Listen to yourself here. Writing 'I'm Sorry' in the sky with an airplane? Renting out Central Park to set up a picnic? Or, my personal favorite, dinner on top of the Statue of Liberty? You do realize how ridiculous all of this sounds, right?"

"You're right Flack, you're absolutely right. I sound like a complete moron. But what am I gonna do? I hurt the girl I love, my life, my world. I hurt her so bad, Flack. And I gotta make that up to her in the best way possible. What am I gonna do to make this right again?"

"I don't know Danny. But you might wanna try talking to her before you go asking her to marry you."

"So you're saying I should just go over there and talk to her? Man, I wish I would have thought of that. Thanks man, I really appreciate it," Danny replied with a bright look on his face. Don, however, did not quite share the enthusiasm for this idea that Danny did. But before he could say anything, Danny was halfway out the door.

-----------

As soon as they had gotten in the car, Bailey, with a new stuffed tiger on one hand and her new Flash action figure in the other, was out like a light. Lindsay couldn't help but grin at the sight of her daughter asleep in her booster seat. It amazed her how much energy the child could have one minute and how silent and still she could be the next. As she pulled out of the zoo, her phone began to ring. It was Cameron Burke, her partner, and the man that had taken Danny's place after he had left. She had grown a fondness of Cameron; he was such a great person, and he was always there to help him with Bailey when she had to work late. She knew she could never be interested in him romantically, but she knew he often thought otherwise. Maybe she should just give into him and accept his thousands of date requests. It wouldn't hurt to get back out there again. Plus, Bailey would need a father figure in her life eventually. Maybe Cameron was that guy. She sighed as she answered her phone.

"Hey Cameron."

"Hey Linds, how's your day off going?"

"It's going quite well, actually. We're on out way home, and I'll probably order the pizza when we get there. Are you still going to come eat with us?" It had been Bailey's idea to invite "Uncle Cameron" over for dinner. She adored him, and every time she got to see him was a privilege for her.

"Of course, you know how much I love spending time with you and Bailey. I'll see you around 6 then?"

"Sounds good, I'll see you then."

"Alrighty then Linds, I'll see you then."

She hung up the phone and looked at her sleeping daughter in the rearview mirror, sighing once again. Why couldn't every day be like this? Just the two of them, no work, no school, no worries. Just her and her daughter, free to enjoy their lives as they pleased. She knew that, of course, it couldn't be that way, that eventually she would have to make a living, but she wanted to savor this for as long as she could. Bailey would only be little for so long, and Lindsay wanted to make the most of that.

As she pulled into the apartment complex, Bailey began to stir.

"Are we home, mommy?"

"Yep we are sweetie. You woke up just in time to order pizza." They had ordered pizza so often from the same place that the man who took the orders knew them by name and face, so every time they ordered pizza, Lindsay would let Bailey do it. Hearing this news made the little girl perk up, rushing to unbuckle her seatbelt.

"Can we get extra cheese?" she asked excitedly as she hurried through the door of the apartment complex.

"Sure Bay, anything you want, it's your day isn't it?"

The little girl just grinned as she pushed the button in the elevator to get to their floor.

"Uncle Cameron's coming, right?" she asked as she looked up at her mother.

"Yes he is, he'll be here just in time to have dinner with us."

"Good, cause I haven't talked to him in for_ever_! I _have _to tell him about the zoo, and school, and my t-ball team!"

"Alright kiddo, but give him a chance to breathe while here's here, you don't want to scare him away with all your stories," Lindsay replied with a laugh.

They reached their apartment and Lindsay let Bailey order the pizza just as she had promised, with extra cheese and all. Around 6:15, there was a knock on the door, and Bailey opened it to reveal a man about 5'10", medium build with dark brown hair and brown eyes. He had a soft face, and everything about him screamed "family man". Bailey jumped into his arms before he was even through the door.

"Uncle Cameron, Uncle Cameron, I missed you!" the little girl shouted excitedly.

"Hey honey, I missed you too. It seems like I haven's seen you in forever."

"I know! I'm so happy you came over! We're gonna get pizza, and mommy said that maybe if you wanted to we could rent a movie and we could have a picnic in the living room!"

"Well, I'd be happy to stay late and party with my favorite girl in the world, but I have to work really early tomorrow. Can I take a rain check on that picnic kiddo?"

"Well, okay. But you have to promise we will sometime soon," she said with a saddened expression on her face.

"Tell you what. I have an even better idea. How about next weekend when I have off, I'll take you and your mom and we'll go have a real picnic in Central Park. Does that sound like a plan?"

Just like that, Bailey's mood was instantaneously brightened.

"Yeah! I like that idea. Don't you mommy? Can we go, can we?"

"Of course we can, sweetie." Lindsay couldn't refuse her daughter of a day in the park. Central Park was Bailey's favorite place to go. "Now let's say we sit down and have some of this pizza?"

The three sat down and began to have a great time, eating, chatting and relaxing. To the casual passerby, it would seem like a typical family night together.

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Danny was going crazy.

His motorcycle wasn't going to sprout wings and fly over this traffic, and he was stuck in rush hour. He was trying to mentally prepare himself for when he arrived at her door, but he knew that all plans would just go out the window when he saw that beautiful face again. God, was he anxious as ever. It had been so long, and now, he was finally going to see her again, his Lindsay, the love of his life. He just had to win her back again, and everything would be okay.

He finally pulled up at the all too familiar apartment complex. The last time he had been here, he had been walking out the door. He could still see her, standing on the sidewalk waving, with tears in her eyes, as he pulled away. It sent a chill up his spine as he made his way up to the door, greeting the doorman, the same man that had let them in at 3 o'clock in the morning all those years.

"Danny Messer? Is that really you? Wow, I never expected to see you here again."

"Yeah, it's really me. I know I haven't been around much, but expect to be seeing more of me."

He decided to take the stairs, two at a time, up to her door.

This was it. He was finally going to see her again. With a newfound determination, he knocked on the door. He was ready. He was going to see Lindsay again, and he was suddenly filled with a new hope.

"Here we go."

-----------

As she enjoyed the night with her coworker and daughter, Lindsay was suddenly interrupted, both by the ringing of her cell phone and a knock at the door. She got up from the table, leaving behind a debate between a 4 year old girl and a 33 year old over whether or not the Yankees would make it to the World Series that year.

"Hang on a second guys, I'll just be a minute," she said laughing as she removed herself from the table.

She looked down at her cell phone reading _Call From Don Flack_ on the screen. She was off duty, what could he possibly be calling about? And then she remembered.

Danny.

She had been so distracted that day that she had completely forgotten. Answering the phone, she began to walk towards the door.

"Hey Flack, what's up?"

"Linds, he's--"

And as she opened the door, she realized why he had called her. Standing outside her door was the same man who had walked out 4 years ago and never returned.

Danny Messer was standing in front of her, as real as ever.

Almost like it was now part of her routine, she dropped her cell phone to the floor.

-----------

When she opened the door, Danny was almost blown away. She hadn't changed a bit, unless it was possible for her to be any more beautiful. It was as if he had taken a trip down memory lane. So many countless things had happened right in this very apartment, and he was tempted to look in and get a better sense that this was actually happening.

But as he glanced over her shoulder, he caught a glimpse of what exactly had happened since he had left. And it sure as hell wasn't the picture he had seen in his mind.

Behind her, sitting at the table, was another man and a little girl, eating pizza and joking about one thing or another.

He had barely uttered out a "Hey Montana," before his emotions began to turn upside down.

What the hell was going on?


	4. Chapter 4

hey all :)

so i tried to get this up a couple days ago, but certain restrictions prevented me.

but nonetheless, here's what you've been waiting for. finally, the meeting between Danny and Lindsay.

now, don't get me wrong, it's gonna get angsty, and you'll probably be confused at the very end, but now we're starting to see why Danny left in the first place.

as always, enjoy :)

Chapter 4

She slammed the door in his face.

What else was she going to do? Her heart was telling her to jump into his arms, but her head was telling her to get away, fast. So naturally, all she could think to do was to slam the door. And indeed she did. Only to be greeted by a much more intense knocking than before. But who was she kidding? She had to be stupid if she thought he was going to let her off that easy. Maybe if she gave herself a second or two, she could regain enough composure to dismiss him in a nicer fashion, one that was possibly less violent than the beat down she thought he deserved.

"Linds, is everything okay?" She was startled by Cameron's voice behind her, forgetting that she wasn't the only person in the building for a second there.

"Yeah…Yeah, everything's fine, I just…door, it slipped, I'll get it."

She tried to calm herself before she reopened the door. No matter how much she tried, she knew she wouldn't be able to contain herself when she saw his face again. It was just too much. But she would try; she would fight like hell not to let him see the pain and fear in her eyes. Because if he saw her like this, she knew he could break down all the barriers that she had spent so long building up; all of that would come crashing down, sending her right back into his arms. And she knew that it would be better for the both of them if that didn't happen. So, putting on her bravest face, she reluctantly opened the door to see a startled and somewhat broken Danny Messer staring back at her.

His eyes were what really caught her attention. She knew that once she was lost in his gaze, there was no turning back. No matter how hard she tried to look away, she was dazed, as if in a trance. He was hypnotizing her with his eyes, and there was no escape. It was just like old times, their gazes locked, the intensity of the moment so hot they could feel the warmth radiating between them. Right now, here in this moment, that intensity was stronger than ever. It had been so long since they had seen each other that it was as if all the passion between them had built up over the years and was now releasing itself. Their connection was so strong at this point that it was making her dizzy.

She shook her head, trying to regain the balance that he had taken from her. This was going to be hard.

Closing the door behind her, she tried to put on her toughest look, sending him the message that he wouldn't be standing there for very long.

"Hey Montana. Kind of a rude way to say hello, dontcha think?" He started off trying to crack a joke, but he knew his sarcasm had been a bit much as soon as the words had rolled off his tongue. The gaze she gave him was so intense, he thanked his lucky stars her eyes weren't the daggers he now saw them as.

"Don't start with me Danny," she began shakily. "What, what do you want?"

Now it was his turn to be nervous. The inimical tone in her voice was something he had never heard before. It startled him. What did he say? Did he start off by dropping to his knees and pleading with her? Surely she would understand that he was deeply sorry and in just as much pain as she was. Or did he start off with the fact that, in the room behind her, there had been another man and a child? Had she really moved on that quickly? Sure, it had been four years, but to find someone else and start a family with them as quickly as she had, he couldn't figure it out. Something was off here, and he had to figure out why. In the mean time, he was standing in the middle of her hallway with a dumbstruck look, staring into space.

"Danny…Hello, earth to Danny Messer? Did you hear me? What do you want, Danny?"

What did he do now? She was interrogating him like he was the prime suspect in a murder case, and he knew that when she was questioning a suspect, she wouldn't give up. She would stare that person down until they reached a breaking point, until they were melted in the palm of her hand. And as he stood there staring into her eyes, he could feel himself being to turn to goo. She would win, she always did and she always would. He knew that, he knew that all too well. All she had to do was give him that look, and he would instantly bend to her every whim, no matter how ridiculous. This time was no exception. He began to plead.

"Linds, I, I miss you. You don't get it, I'm fucking stupid, so stupid Lindsay, and I shoulda come back, you know as well as I do I shoulda never stayed for as long as I did. It was too long Linds, way too long to be away from you. I gotta make it up to you, I just gotta. Any way I can do that, you just say the word and it's done. Just let me come back to you Lindsay, let me come back in. I can't spend another second without you Montana. I miss you so much, so much, and I can't believe how much of a fucking idiot I've been. I'm sorry Lindsay, so sorry. You really don't understand how much I regret not coming back. Just let me fix this, please?"

The tears began rolling before the first sentence had been said, and they just continued as he searched her face for an answer; for anything really, but he couldn't read any emotion on that beautiful face of hers. What was going on in that clever little head? Was she going to forgive him, or slap him across the face? He was still trying to figure her out when he was suddenly taken aback by her icy words.

"Fuck off Danny. Just fuck off. Do you really expect me to just take you back, just like that? Because if you do, you're wrong. Do you realize what hell you have put me through? You left, Danny, and not just for those couple of months. That I could have dealt with. That, I completely understood. You needed your time, and I respected that. But you didn't come back. Hell, you didn't even call to tell me yourself that you wouldn't be back, you left your dirty work to Mac and Stella. Do you know why? Because you're a coward Danny. You left me broken, and completely devastated. You think you get it but you just don't. You think you can just, just apologize your way through and it will all be better. But you know what? I'd expect that from a selfish bastard like yourself. You think it's all fixable with a sorry and an 'it won't happen again,' but this time's different Messer. I'm not that easy to get through to. You broke through to me once, and you ruined all of that. Now, get the hell out of my face, get the hell out of my apartment, and get the _hell_ out of my life."

The look on her face was as cold as her words were. She meant it, she meant every word of what she had said, and he was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that she wanted him gone. He knew she would be angry, he wouldn't blame her for that in the least, but the fact that it was all now happening just seemed to smack him in the face. She really wanted him gone, and he couldn't stand being without her for another second. But he couldn't bear to be away from her again. He just couldn't stand being without her; he needed her presence in his life, she completed him, made him whole, and he wasn't going to let her go. Not this easily anyway.

"Linds, wait, just here me out. I know what I did was wrong. It was stupid and selfish and frankly, I can't believe you've allowed me to keep standin. I'm all of those things you called me times ten; I'm an arrogant bastard and I don't deserve to have you. But despite all that, I still have to fight, I gotta Linds, or I'll at least die tryin. You are the most important thing in my life, and I took advantage of that, I know I did. And I'm more sorry than I can say for everything that has happened. But you can't honestly say you don't still feel for me. At least a little bit…? You know there's still somethin here Lindsay, I can see it in your eyes. You're scared to let me back in, aren't you? You're afraid it's gonna happen again. And you know, I don't blame ya. I know I've fucked up in the past; I left you hangin and that's not right, that's not right at all. Especially seein how much I care about you. Lindsay Monroe, look at me for a second."

He saw that she had begun to stare at her feet, something she had always done when she was nervous. She had tears in her eyes, which was expected, but he hated that he was once again the cause of them. He was going to fix this.

"Hey. Lindsay, look at me," he repeated himself as he took a risk, gently putting his hand underneath her chin to raise her head. The look in her eyes was defeat. They were sad and tired, and he hated it when she looked this way. Her arms still crossed, she gazed deeply into his big blue eyes. They were full of sorrow, of intensity, of the truth. This is what she had been afraid of. She knew he was sorry, and that he would do anything in the world to fix it. But she was still unsure of her own feelings, of what she wanted to come from this. Did she want him back? Of course she did, that was without a doubt what she had always hoped would happen. But now that he was back, standing right in front of her, she didn't know anything anymore. For now, she was lost in his gaze.

"God how I've missed you," he whispered in a husky voice, one that sent a chill up her spine.

She could barely utter a response. She was frozen, with fear or excitement she was still unsure of. They were both caught there in that moment, staring at each other intently. There wasn't any place else either of them would have rather have been, for that moment anyway. She knew she would probably regret it, but for now, she would savor this. She had missed him so much, and now they were back in each other's arms. It was perfect, nothing could ruin this moment between. It was like the bittersweet reunion they had been waiting for.

Staring at each other, both with their jaws partially dropped, he cautiously moved his hand up from her chin to stroke her cheek. God, it had been so long since he had touched her, since he had felt the softness of her skin. It sent a rush of electricity up his arm that quickly spread throughout his entire body. In response to this, she covered his hand with her own, instinctively. She felt the current as he did, swimming throughout her entire body, reminding her of all the times they had been together. It was as if time stood still, and they were the only people standing there in that hallway. Realizing this, he decided to take another risk. He bent his head towards hers, taking in the rest of her face with his other hand, their gazes locked the entire time. It seemed to be happening in slow motion, every move they made, their lips centimeters apart. She could feel the warmth of his breath on hers, and then it hit her.

Or rather, she hit him.

Hard. Right in the side of the face.

What was she doing? Was she really going to let him off that easy?

Hell no.

"Daniel Messer, don't you EVER touch me again, you hear me? I want you OUT of here. Turn your sorry ass around and get the fuck out of my face!"

The rage was still swimming through her, as was the stinging in her hand. It was like she was on an anger high. One more false move and she would have him dead on the ground. As she watched him nurse his wound, she couldn't help but laugh. He deserved it. He thought he could take her back just like that, but she wasn't going to let that happen. If he was ever going to win her back, she would make him fight like hell to make it happen. And he sure as hell wasn't going to get away with this little stunt he had tried to pull. As much as she had enjoyed every second of it, they had moved too fast, much too fast. She still held a burning hatred over his head, and if he wanted to cool the fire, he was going to have to bring a lot more ice the next time he showed up at her door. For now, they were done. He would just have to try again some other day. Another day much farther down the road, she hoped, because she wasn't sure how much more of this she could take. She had almost surrendered to his will, and she knew if she knew that if she hadn't have been so fumed right now, she would be right back in his arms, apologizing and trying to comfort him.

But she wouldn't let that happen. He was going to leave, and she was going to attempt to return to her safe little family portrait that seemed to be hanging on the wall. It wasn't reality; she, Bailey and Cameron were no more a family than she and her high school boyfriends. She knew this perfect picture she had painted herself that evening would never last. So for now, she would just imagine a life without imperfections, and she would deal with the flaws at a later date in time.

"Lindsay, listen to yourself, you don't want me to leave, just let me back in--"

"Danny, do not test me right now. If you fear for your life, you'd better start marching your ass down those stairs and back to Flack's place. You really don't want to make me more angry than I already am right now. So I suggest you just go. Leave. Don't come back until you're ready to actually face this like a man instead of whoring you way back to me."

She turned and opened the door, once again revealing a playful Bailey and Cameron at the table, eating pizza and joking like any normal father and daughter would. She hardly noticed that Danny was still there, watching it all, until she turned back around to close the door.

"So…who is this prick? And the little one, when did that happen?" The look on his face was more than shot down, more than the devastation she had expected him to have. It was complete and utter defeat, like someone had shot him point blank in the chest and left him standing there to fish out the bullet. And as far as Lindsay was concerned, he deserved it. He didn't deserve to have this life, and for all the pain he had put her through, she would let him have a taste of his own medicine.

"Don't you _dare_ talk about Cameron that way. He's much more of a man than you will ever be. Now, get the hell out of here. I don't want you scaring my daughter."

My daughter.

Those words hit him harder than any of the others she previously stated had. It was like a blow to the head, followed by triple cardiac arrest and a knife twisting deep inside him. No. It was much worse than that. Lindsay had had a daughter. A beautiful, healthy, bouncy young child that reminded him so much of her. Staring at the small girl eating pizza at the kitchen table he had sat at so many times before, he realized how much she resembled her mother. That wavy, dirty blonde hair, those big eyes, her petite figure, the way she could melt any man with just one look, much like she was doing at that moment to Cameron. He envied that man so much, so much that he wished he could throw him out the window at that very moment. But he wouldn't. He couldn't. He knew he deserved to look on as an innocent bystander in all of this. But it just hit him so hard, harder than anything in his life ever had. He didn't know if he could take it anymore. He had no choice. He just had to pick up and leave. He would go back to Flack's and sulk, just as she knew he would. He just didn't know what he was going to do from there.

"Uhh…yeah, I'll just…I'll just, be on my way then I guess…Have a nice life Linds. She's beautiful, and I'm sure her father is just as proud as you are. I, I wish you all the best."

Turning to leave, he began to break down, much as she had in the previous twenty four hours. It was like his whole world had come crumbling down on top of him. His head was spinning, images of the past flashing before his eyes. Memories of them together were swimming in his thoughts, and he just wanted it all to go away. How he wished he could just fall into a permanent sleep, and dream of the life he would have had, he should have had, with Lindsay. He was so caught up in his misery that he didn't hear her softly call his name down the hallway.

"Danny, wait…" But when he didn't respond, she knew what was going on in his head. And she knew that deep in her heart, no matter how much she reasoned with herself, he truly didn't deserve this. No matter how much she tried to tell herself that he had this coming to him, she knew this was too much. As she watched him aimlessly wander down the hallway towards the elevator, she began to silently weep. He became smaller and smaller as the distance between them grew farther and farther apart. It was just like the last time he had left, only this time, they were both equally to blame. And this time, she didn't know what was going to happen to him. Would he wander into a bar, or worse, into the middle of the street? She had crushed him, and she knew she would take the blame for anything that happened to him.

She walked back into the apartment sulkingly, knowing that they were both quite miserable now. She tried to put on a brave face for Bailey, but she knew the little girl was too smart for her own good. As soon as Cameron left, her inquisitiveness would spark and she wouldn't give up until she got the answers she wanted.

Lindsay walked over to the window in the living room that overlooked the front of the building and watched as Danny slowly walked over to his bike, head down, and drove away. She prayed that, wherever he was going, he would make it there safely. Crossing back over to the kitchen, she assured Cameron that all was well, and informed him that it would be best if he left for the night. They said their goodbyes, and after giving Bailey a dozen hugs, Cameron made his exit.

"Look, Linds, you know if you need anything, anything at all, you just say the word and I'm here in a second."

"Thanks Cam, but I really need to do this on my own. I'll see you at work."

"Alright. I'll see you Linds."

Letting out a sigh, she began to clear the dishes off the table. Bailey, tagging along right under her feet, was already starting with the questions.

"Mommy, who was that guy? And why are you sad again? Were you guys talking about Nemo? Cause if he told you he died, he really didn't. He should watch the movie again."

Setting the dishes on the counter, Lindsay picked Bailey up and put her on her hip. She hated mixing her daughter up in all of this, but she knew the child was smart enough to see through her lies. It was time she told the truth for once.

"That man was…well, he's an old partner of mine. We used to work together, sort of like me and Cameron do now. I haven't seen him in a long time and the last time he left, it made me sad because we were such good friends. Since he came back, I started remembering when he left, and it just made me a little sad, that's all. Do you understand sweetie?"

"Yeah, I guess. But mommy, why did he say that Uncle Cameron was my daddy? He's not my daddy, is he?"

"No baby girl, he's your Uncle Cameron, just like he's always been."

"Then mommy, if Uncle Cameron isn't my daddy, who _is_ my daddy?"

Here it was. The question she had been dreading for four years.

How was she going to explain this to a little girl?

The tears started rolling again, as if her tear switch was stuck on high, and there was no way to turn it off.

This was going to be a long night.

-----------

Danny had been riding for miles now. Where he was heading, he didn't exactly know. But he knew for sure that he wouldn't be stopping any time soon. He just had to keep riding; it would clear up his thoughts at least a little. The one thing he couldn't get out of his head was the look in her eyes when they had almost kissed for the first time in too long. The way she looked eager, yet terrified, the way he could look deep into her soul with just a glimpse of those big brown eyes. He couldn't shake that from his memory, and it was killing him inside. The other thing that had him was the picture in his head of that little girl. She was perfect in every single way, and he couldn't get over the fact that she was so much like her mother. And he hadn't even caught her name. She was everything he had ever imagined in his own daughter, and yet she wasn't his. He couldn't believe Lindsay had really and truly moved on.

He had to keep riding. Maybe the cold air whipping past his face would send him into shock, or at least numb the pain for awhile. After a good two and a half hours, he ended up at the one place that would calm him, as ironic as it was. He pulled up to the gates, parked his bike, and took the all too familiar walk up the pathways, knowing instinctively which way to turn like it had been inscribed into his brain, like his feet had been trained to walk this way. After many twists and turns, he arrived at the gravestone labeled "Messer", and knelt down beside it, resting his hand on top of the marble stone.

"Hey mommy, daddy, Louie…you don't know how lucky you are to be where you are right now. I miss you so much. But you're in a better place than I am. I love you guys. I'm just so sorry I couldn't have saved you…"

He wept in silence in front of the grave, holding a the faded family photo that was laid in on the ground in front of him. If only things could be this way again. So simple, so innocent. He wished he could have his family back, his mother and father, his brother.

His Lindsay.

What he would give to have them back.

He was still knelt on the ground weeping when the sun rose the next morning.


	5. Chapter 5

hey all :)

thanks for all the comments! you really dont know how much it means to me when you guys are telling me how much you love my story; it makes it easier to keep writing.

well, heres the next chapter. it's kind of a lead in to what's going to get everything going. i know you're all really wanting to know what happened to Danny's family, and don't worry, you'll have your flashbacks soon enough. it's all building up to a really intense chapter that i'm already in the process of writing. but i have to get to all of that first, so for now, you'll all just have to wait :)

enjoy the next chapter, and feel free to PM me if you have any questions :)

Chapter 5

Lindsay stared blankly at the little girl. She knew this question would arise one day, but it had crept up on her, just as Danny had. In both situations, she was not prepared whatsoever to handle them. If only she could freeze time and sort this all out; figure out a way to handle it all. It was too much for her to face at once, and she feared that she would break down from the overload.

"Mommy? Did you hear me?" Bailey was growing impatient. She was just like her mother; she wanted answers, and she wanted them before the question was asked, and now, Lindsay was prompted to pull an answer out of thin air. She wasn't about to reveal the true paternity of the little girl, as much as she longed for her to know the identity of her real father.

"Yes sweetie, I heard you."

"Well then who is he? Who's my daddy? Everyone at preschool says they have daddies, so how come I don't?"

"You do have a daddy Bay. He's just…he just doesn't know about you."

"How come?" There she went again, always having to know the reasoning behind anything and everything that went on in their lives. Why is the sky blue? Why can't I have ice cream for dinner? Why doesn't my own father know about my existence? This time was no exception, and Lindsay couldn't come out with her usual "because I said so" or "because it just is". It hurt Lindsay, because deep down she had always hoped that Danny and Bailey would know each other, that they could be the family she had always wanted them to be. But she knew that you never got what you wanted in life, and it was better to simply forget about what she wanted and focus on what she had: Bailey. That little girl meant everything to her, and she wasn't about to sacrifice hurt and pain for the safety and wellbeing of her daughter.

"Well you see, before you were born, he…well, he took a little…vacation. He really liked where he went, and he decided that's where he wanted to live. But he didn't know that I was going to have a baby when he left, so he didn't come back."

"So why didn't you call him? We could call him up right now, and then we could be a family just like Nemo and Marlin and Dory."

"He didn't tell me where he was going Bay. I couldn't call him. He didn't take his cell phone with him, and he didn't leave a phone number to reach him at or an address or anything. It was like he disappeared…But if there was any way I could have reached him, I would have done it in a heartbeat."

"So does that mean he doesn't love me?" Seeing the hurt in her little girl's eyes only made it that much more painful for Lindsay.

"Aww baby girl, no, it doesn't mean that at all." She pulled her close as she thought about Danny. He was always so great with kids, no doubt he would adore Bailey. The fact that Bailey was so hung up on this only made it worse.

"But how could he love me if he doesn't even know about me?"

"Well, what's not to love about you Bailey Monroe? You're smart, you're funny, you're cute, and you've got a big heart. I'm sure he'd fall in love with you from the moment he saw you."

"Really?"

"Really. You're a heartbreaker kiddo, one look at you and he'd be wrapped around your finger, just like your Uncle Flack is."

And she was completely right.

-----------

When he awoke, Danny was sprawled across the grave site in the darkness of the night; a picture of he and Lindsay from long ago clutched in his right hand, and the family photo that had been placed at the grave in his left. He held his life in his hands, but it seemed as if it had all been lost. The tragic death of his parents and his brother would never be returned to him; they would be gone forever and there was no way of getting them back. As for Lindsay, he didn't know what would come of their relationship after what had happened last night. All he kept thinking about was her and that little girl. Although he had only seen her for a few moments, her angelic face and dirty blonde curls would forever be etched into his memory. She looked so much like her mother, right down to the way she had scrunched up her nose when the other man in the room, Cameron if he remembered correctly, had tried to poke her. It almost scared him how much she resembled Lindsay, and he couldn't help but wonder what would have happened had she have been his. He had always wanted to start a family with Lindsay; they had talked briefly about it, but deep down, he always knew that she was the one. He would always picture her face in that of his children's, and seeing her little girl had sent a chill up his spine. She was like an angel here on earth, and she couldn't have been any more perfect.

But she wasn't his. She was that bastard Cameron's from what he understood, and there would be no way to change that. You can't change genetics, after all, and he was never going to get over that. He sat on the ground, both utterly miserable and unquestionably pissed off, trying to decide what his next move would be. He wanted with all of his heart to continue pursuing Lindsay, but she had made it clear the night before that she never wanted to see him again. He couldn't stand not seeing her face every morning; he would go absolutely insane. But he didn't want to disregard her wishes. Either way, he was in a lose-lose situation. Lose Lindsay, or make her even more mad at him than she already was.

And then there was the child to consider. Even if he did somehow manage to win Lindsay back, did he dare tear the child's life apart? He couldn't do that. He wouldn't do that. He would never in his life want to ruin the life of a small child for his own selfish needs.

In short, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and it didn't look like there was going to be an easy way out of any of this. So for now, he sulked in front of his family's grave, both because of the fact that they had been ripped away from him, and because he had no where else to turn. He couldn't bury himself in his work because he had none. He couldn't go and get drunk because he didn't want to feel sorry for himself and drown his sorrows in the nearest tap. He couldn't go back to Flack's for the fear that his friend would chew him out before he even set foot in the door. He had nowhere else to turn. He had lost everything and he felt he was solely responsible.

As he hung his head and stared into the faces of the pictures staring back at him, he remembered happier times. In the photo of he and his family, he laughed as he remembered the day it had been taken. He was only 7 years old, Louie being 9, and their parents had surprised them with tickets to a Yankee's game. All Danny had wanted was to catch a foul ball, and his big brother had put his heart and soul into accomplishing this for him. Two missing teeth and a black eye later, Louie had caught a ball for his baby brother, making Danny's day. The picture was quite a sight; Danny proudly holding up his trophy, Louie's gapped tooth smile, their parents laughing behind them, and the stadium in the background. It was one of Danny's favorite childhood memories, and he was the only one left to remember it.

Trying to get his mind off of that fact, he glanced at the photo of he and Lindsay. It had been taken at the Christmas party that, after much deliberation, Stella had conned Mac into having for the team. The lab stations had been decorated with lights and garland galore, and there was even a miniature Christmas tree, decorated with test tubes and swabs as ornaments. Lindsay had surprised Danny with a decoration of her own, mistletoe, and someone had captured the moment between the two. It was one of Danny's favorite pictures he still had of the two of them, regardless of the amount of teasing he received from Flack, Hawkes, and Adam. It was such a tender, intimate scene, and every time he looked at the picture he could be transported back to that very moment within a matter of seconds. The way she smelled of vanilla and Christmas tree, the way her outfit fit her every curve perfectly, the way she looked at him when she held the mistletoe high above his head. That had been one of his favorite moments between them before he had taken off, and he carried the picture with him all those days that he had been gone. It was the first thing he saw when he woke up in the morning and the last thing he looked at before he went to sleep every night.

That picture had kept him sane all those years. He couldn't bring himself to call or text her, or send so much as an email, because any communication between the two of them would send him right back into her arms, and he knew he had to keep his focus on the task at hand: getting his revenge on the monsters that had taken his family away from him. As soon as it was taken care of, he would go back to her; to the comfort of her touch, the safety of her arms. He longed to be back with her, but he had never quite accomplished what he had set out to do. There were things that were holding him back, and he couldn't seem to find a way to get around them.

Shaking the memory from his head, he sighed and sprawled out across the grass. He was in an awkward state at this point. He didn't feel the need to cry, no matter how upset he was. He didn't feel the need to pound his fists into the ground and scream like a child, no matter how angry he felt. He was simply numb, numb to an extent that he didn't know what to do next. So there he lay, staring up into the clouds, wishing the answer would fall right out of the sky.

But instead of the answer, the face of Don Flack appeared above him.

"I thought I'd find you hear. You gotta get yourself together Mess. Look at ya."

He must not have heard Don walk up, but now that he was here, Danny was sort of grateful. Sure he would probably get lectured, but it was nice to have a friend there to comfort him.

"Danny. Danny? Come on man, get up, I need to get you back to my place, you don't need to be sittin out here on the ground."

"You know what Flack? I kinda like it down here. It's nice and cozy, there's no one here to bother me; I don't have to care about anyone but myself. Plus, why would I need Lindsay to keep me company when I got the bugs here?"

"Messer listen to yourself. Come on, come back to my place and cool down for a little while."

"Why Don? What's the point anymore? She said she never wanted to see me again. Lindsay, _my _Lindsay. I just don't get it. She has a kid Flack, she has a kid, and I missed that. I missed out on the best thing that ever happened to me and I have no idea how to get it back."

"Danno, you just gotta give it time, don't go givin up on me. You're Danny Messer for cryin out loud. Just come back to my place with me, clean yourself up, and we'll think of something, I promise you."

"You know what, you're right. I can't just give up, right? I gotta keep fightin, no way I'm gonna lose my girl to some prick who looks like he stepped outta Mr. Rodger's Neighborhood."

"Wait…what?"

"You know, that bastard Cameron. No way is he in any way deserving of Lindsay. I'm gonna fix this Flack, let's go."

Don was slightly confused. Had Danny thought that Lindsay and Cameron were an item? Everyone at the lab knew full well that Cameron was no more Lindsay's boyfriend than her brother was. He had had a crush on her since the first time he stepped foot into the crime lab, and as cute as she found it, she had made it clear from the start that they would remain friends and nothing more. But he didn't want to confuse things even more so where Danny and Lindsay were concerned, so he figured he would just keep his mouth shut.

"Now that's the Danny we all know and love. Come on, let's get goin, I gotta get this car back before Jess knows I took it."

The two friends made their way back to their respective vehicles; Danny now determined as ever, and Don trying to sort out what exactly Danny thought was going on. Either way, all he wanted was to see his friends happy, and the sooner this happened the better it would be for all of them.

-----------

Meanwhile, Lindsay was still trying to get her daughter off of her new favorite topic: stories about her father. She wanted to know everything, from who he was, what he did, what he looked like, what his name was. And Lindsay was trying to find creative ways around all of her inquisitive daughter's questions.

"So, did you love him?"

"Of course I loved him Bay, he gave me you. What more could I ask for from a person? He gave me the greatest gift on earth, I don't think I could ever hate him."

"But he went away. Didn't that make you sad?"

"Well yes, I was very sad. I still am. It hurt me a lot when he left."

"Do you still miss him?"

"Yeah, but I see so much of him in you everyday, it's hard to be sad about it."

At this, the little girl's eyes widened and she perked up. "How much am I like him?"

"Well, you've got his eyes, and you've got his smile," to which she responded with a 4 year old smile of her own.

"Really?!" It was the happiest she had seen her daughter in awhile. Sure, the zoo and Cameron had certainly made her a cheery kid, but lately, Bailey had seemed off. She didn't know what exactly was up, but Lindsay assured herself it was probably nothing. Every kid got worn down eventually, it was just a matter of time before Bailey was back to her old self again.

"Hah, yes really. Now, why don't we get you off to bed, you've had a long day kiddo."

"Aww, but we were just getting to the good part!"

"I'll tell you more stories later Bailey, I promise. But right now, it's time for bed."

"Okay…" she replied with a giant yawn.

"That's my girl." Lindsay carried the girl into her room and helped her into her Cinderella pajamas. She tucked her in and gave her a kiss goodnight, and was about to exit the room when the child she thought was asleep suddenly began to speak.

"Mommy, you remember that guy who was here earlier? What was his name?"

"His name is Danny. Why did you want to know?"

"I don't know. I just didn't know his name, and if he ever comes back here, I wanna say hi to him. How come you were so angry at him?"

"Well, he hurt me too Bay. I just didn't want him to ever hurt you."

"Okay. Night mommy."

"Goodnight baby girl. I love you."

"Love you more," she said as she dozed off into a dream filled sleep with a smile on her face. She was no doubt thinking about her father, putting her own face to the mystery man that Lindsay knew all too well. How had she let herself get into all of this? She watched the girl's chest rise and fall for just a few moments more until she finally closed the door behind her and made her way to the kitchen to clean up that evenings festivities.

As she began to clear the dishes from the table, she tried to go over what exactly had happened, because she still wasn't quite sure herself. Danny had been there, they had fought, they had almost kissed, and then he had seen Bailey and Cameron. She had let him walk off thinking they were her family, that they had replaced him. In a sense, part of them had. But they both knew that he would never be replaced; he held a special place in her heart that only he could fill. If only there was an easy way for him to regain that place.

If she could only find a way.

-----------

Back at Flack's apartment, Danny and Don sat on the couch with the tv on in the background. Danny was trying to refrain from digging too deep into what had happened between he and Lindsay; he and Flack needed to catch up as friends before he spilled his guts. It had been like old times, watching the game, drinking a beer, and talking about random things that came to mind.

"So Danno, if you're gonna be staying here, we gotta get you a job, huh?"

"Yeah, I gotta make money somehow I guess. You think Mac would consider letting me back into the lab?"

"I don't know. He told you when you were ready to come back that a job would be ready and waiting for you. I think that offer still stands. Might as well give it a shot."

"Yeah you're right. I guess I'll just have to go back there and wing it. You don't think Lindsay will mind me being back at the lab do ya?"

"Well, she's gonna have to get used to havin you around, isn't she? Might as well start with the place you two kids met. Best place to start, I'll say."

"You're right Flack. I hope they'll all let me back in without too much of a beat down," he said with a laugh.

"Now don't think you'll go getting away that easy Messer. We've had your lynching party planned ever since Linds came to my door cryin." Danny hadn't exactly responded to this in the way Flack had hoped, so he turned their attention back to the tv, the Yankees scoring a run at just the right moment, and they were off the subject for the night.

Tomorrow would be one hell of a wake up call for the both of them, as Don prepared the rest of the New York Crime Lab for the long awaited return of Danny Messer.

Boy, was he in for it.


	6. Chapter 6

hey all :)

well i have the rest of the week off so i decided to give this next chapter up as a little treat to all of you.

we're getting closer my friends, i have the big chapter already written, its just a matter of getting all these fillers in.

as always, i love to hear what you think, and thank you sooo much for all you guys have said already. it makes my day so much better :)

enjoy :)

Chapter 6

"Bailey sweetie, finish up your breakfast, mommy's going to be late for work."

It was Monday morning in the Monroe household. Lindsay had woken up late and was trying to hurry Bailey along in order to make it to her shift on time. Bailey's preschool had the day off due to a teacher's institute which meant that Bailey would be going to work with Lindsay. If only the child would finish up her Lucky Charms, the duo could be on their way to the crime lab.

"But I'm not hungry," Bailey pouted as she rested her chin on her hands and pushed her bowl away from her.

"Bay, please, just finish it up for mommy. It would really make me happy. Just do it, please?"

The little girl glared down at her cereal as if it were a mutant thing soaking in the milk filled bowl. Hesitantly, she scooped the last of the cereal onto her spoon and shoveled it down with a pout on her face.

"That's my big girl. Now go brush your teeth and get your shoes on, we're gonna be late."

In a flash, Lindsay had the little girl buckled into her car seat and they were down the road in no time. She had her bag of coloring books and DVD's sitting on the seat beside her. Bailey always loved going to work with her mom, she enjoyed spending time with the staff at the crime lab, and she was already becoming a science geek, constantly asking if the "GMCS" had printed the latest readout, or if the "supspect" had been arrested. She was turning into quite the little scientist, and Lindsay couldn't help but chuckle at her little girls intelligence.

They were two blocks away from the lab when Lindsay's cell phone rang. It was Mac, no doubt calling to scold her for being late.

"Monroe.""Hey Linds, don't bother stopping at the lab, we need you to get to the scene right away. We've got a double homicide on our hands."

Lindsay glanced back at the child in the backseat who was making her Flash action figure battle her stuffed tiger, and, laughing, she returned to the phone call.

"Alright but I've gotta drop Bailey off at the lab first, I'll meet you there. Text me the location, I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Sounds good Lindsay, I'll see you soon."

She hung up with Mac and hit the speed dial for Flack, asking him to meet her at the front door to grab Bailey. They pulled up, and Don Flack was standing in the doorway of the crime lab, squatted down with his arms wide open, as Bailey jumped out of the car and ran towards the man.

"Uncle Flack Uncle Flack!" she shouted, jumping into his arms.

"Hey princess, how are you? I've missed you ya know."

"I missed you too Uncle Flack! Are we gonna play with the GMCS again today?!" she asked him excitedly.

With a laugh, he responded, "We'll see kiddo. Why don't we get you settled in your mommy's office first."

"Okay!"

Lindsay smiled at the pair, and then realized that she had a job to do. "I'll see you guys in a little bit. Be good for Uncle Flack Bailey, don't give him too much trouble," she said, kissing the little girl on the forehead.

"Bye mommy!" she said as Lindsay waved from the car. She made her way to the crime scene that Mac had so urgently needed her to be at.

When she arrived, she saw a nasty site. Two bloody bodies were scattered about the ground. As the sun began to beat down on her, she realized it was going to be one hell of a day.

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Danny stood in front of the guest bed in Flack's apartment staring at his choices. Flack had loaned him the clothes in his closet; he would have to look his best to impress his former colleagues so he was trying to pick out something nice to wear. He knew that ultimately, the decision wouldn't be based upon how he looked, but solely on what kind of impression he made on the team. He had in fact taken off on them, he wasn't exactly thinking they would welcome him back with a cup of coffee and open arms.

After much deliberation, he finally chose a nice dress shirt and pants, got himself all dressed up and grabbed his keys off the kitchen counter. As he went to walk out the door, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the picture of he and Lindsay from four Christmases ago. It was his good luck charm so to speak. He smiled at the photo and put it back into his pocket, locking the door behind and taking off towards the crime lab. It had been so long since he had been to that building. So much of his life had happened there, it would be kind of weird to go back. But he was excited nonetheless.

He made it to the front doors of the New York Crime Lab, and a chill went up his spine as he climbed the front steps. He had walked down these halls so many times before, it was almost scary. He closed his eyes and began to take it all in; everything from the familiar scents of the lab equipment to the sounds of tests being run, even the playful banter between coworkers made him feel right at home. That is, until he opened his eyes to be presented with a dozen or so pairs of eyes staring him down. Of all of the people in the crime lab, he had only been really close with his team; Mac, Stella, Flack, Hawkes, Adam, and of course Lindsay. However, he had also known a lot of the other employees by face or from having a few casual conversations as they passed by. Basically put, most people in the lab had known his face, as well as his story. No doubt they were all curious to know why he was back, standing in front of them dressed for work.

Taking a bold step forward, he set off down the hallway towards Mac's office, hoping to catch him in a good mood. As he passed by the familiar lab stations, a curious face suddenly appeared--much to close for his liking--right in front of him. It was the face of Sheldon Hawkes, his expression a mix of confusion, questioning, and no doubt anger.

"Hiya pal, what goes on?" Danny said nervously to his old colleague.

"Danny Messer. You've really got the nerve to show your face in here? Man I ought to--"

Their conversation was interrupted by the shattering of glass a couple of feet away. Danny breathed a sigh of relief as both men glanced back at a very stunned Adam Ross, tongs in one hand, a broken test tube on the ground at his feet. They couldn't help but laugh as Adam's eyes went from big to bulging as he realized that his evidence was now quickly pooling around his shoes.

"Drop somethin there Adam? At least your shoes are finally gettin a good washing. How long has it been since you cleaned those nasty things? Four years or so?" Trying to help his case, Danny cracked a joke at his young friend. Adam quickly grabbed a towel and attempted to salvage the evidence that was now collecting on the floor.

"Uhh, yeah Messer, how long has it been since you last had a shower, five?" he replied wittily, getting a laugh from Hawkes as well as a bug-eyed look from Danny. The three men stood in a circle in the middle of the hallway, awkwardly laughing every couple of seconds before they simply couldn't contain themselves. They erupted out in laughter, at what or whom no one was exactly sure of, but they were certainly gaining attention from the majority of the lab. As they eventually calmed down, Hawkes grew serious as he realized exactly who he was sharing this moment with, suggesting they moved their little powwow to his office. This received a nervous look from Danny. Both of these men were highly trained to discover how a victim was murdered, surely they had picked up some pointers along the way in the case that they one day wished to do so themselves?

They made their way down the winding hallways to Sheldon's office, he and Adam taking seats opposite Danny as they arrived. What was this, an interrogation? Danny became utterly worried that he would be handcuffed and hauled off to Sing-Sing if he didn't play his cards right. Adam and Hawkes both had a look of vengeance in their eyes as they locked the door. Danny gulped hugely as the men began their round of questioning.

"So. Where the hell have you been Messer?" Hawkes began. "You can't tell me it's taken you this long to mourn the loss of your family."

Noting that this had been a tad harsh, he quickly regretted what he had said, but was nonetheless angry at the uneasy man seated in front of him. He threw him an apologetic look as Danny opened his mouth to reply.

"Look guys, I know I don't even deserve to step foot in this building, let alone this room, but I gotta make things right. With all of you. You deserve and explanation, and as much as I'd like to give it to you, I just can't right now."

Adam cocked his head. "What do you mean? You can't tell us where you've been for the past four years but you can just waltz back in here like you belong? Look Danny, I'm sorry that you lost your family, you know that as well as I do, but you just took off without so much as an explanation. You didn't just hurt Lindsay, you hurt us all. You were a part of our team, and when one of us hurts, we all do. You could have at least called or left a note or something."

"You're starting to sound like one of my old girlfriends kid," Danny replied, receiving a chuckle from Hawkes. "I know I know, I should have explained it all to you guys, but the truth is, I didn't even know what I was going to do. I left to grieve, and you all knew that. But there was some…business…that I needed to take care of. I didn't think I'd be able to go on with my life if I didn't finish that bastard off."

"Danny, when one of us is in trouble, we all pitch in to help, don't you know that by now?" replied Hawkes. "You know we would have dropped everything to help you out. We were all ready and waiting, but you disappeared. If you wanted our help catching that ass, why didn't you just call us?"

"I couldn't do that Sheldon. As much as I would have loved to have you all there, I just couldn't. I had to do it alone. I owed them that much. And I failed miserably at that. But when that happened, I was too…well, I was kind of ashamed to show my face in here again. I figured if I couldn't bring down the man that had murdered my own family, I didn't deserve to be in the presence of the people who did it for a living. I was disappointed in myself, and I couldn't bring myself to come back. That is, until quite recently…"

"Messer, not being able to solve one crime doesn't make you any less of a CSI. It makes you stronger, helps you to pick out your weaknesses. If you've gained anything from this experience, it's that you can always learn from your mistakes, and that your friends are always here for you to fall back on."

Danny picked his head up and stared into the sweet face of Stella Bonasara. He couldn't believe she wasn't beating him over the head with a two by four, but he couldn't help but return her smile as he stood up to give her a hug.

"Welcome back kiddo. You've been missed."

He couldn't wrap his hand around it. Why was she being so nice? After being afraid of being stuffed into a body bag by Hawkes and Adam, Stella had welcomed him back with open arms. He couldn't help but think that this was all just a ploy to get back at him. Act nice, pretend he was missed, and then once they had regained his trust, dump him into the Hudson. It was too easy, and he felt as if he was playing right into their hands. Pulling back from the warm embrace, he gave Stella a look of suspicion, which gained a laugh from the woman.

"What's the face for Messer? Did you really think I was going to come after you? You came back. That's all any of ever wanted to happen. I'm not going to hold a grudge against you, you're one of us, always have been, always will be. Nothing will ever change that, right guys?" she said, eyeing a now confused Hawkes and Adam, who were no doubt thinking about jumping the man in front of them. However, no matter what he had done in the past, both knew that all was forgivable, regardless of how much they longed to give him a good beat down in the back alley.

"You know what, you're absolutely right Stell. We missed you Danno, good to have you back," Hawkes replied, but at the same time giving Danny a look of "we'll talk more later".

"Yeah, I'm glad you're back Danny. It hasn't been the same without you," Adam said, giving him the same look Hawkes had. Danny now felt like a new man; gaining back the reassurance from his coworkers made him all the more confident in tackling his biggest fear, Mac. He exited Sheldon's office only to realize that the older man was nowhere to be found. He began circling the building when he bumped into a flustered Flack, clutching the tiny hand of Lindsay's daughter. This sight stopped Danny dead in his tracks.

"Hey, Messer, can you do me a favor and watch the little one for a sec? I just got called out, but Linds should be here any minute now. Her office is still locked up so just chill in mine til she gets back."

Danny stared at Don like he was crazy. Was he really asking him to do this? Did he even stop to consider how Lindsay would react when she came into work to see Danny looking out for her daughter? He had no time to ask these questions, however, as Don practically shoved the little girl in Danny's direction, muttering a "Thanks man, I really appreciate it," and took off down the hallway.

"Flack, wait, what the…? Hiya kiddo," he stuttered shakily.

"Hi. I'm Bailey. I remember you, you were at my house Saturday. Your name's Danny."

"That's right, I was at your house the other day."

"So are we gonna go play? Uncle Flack said he left the DVD player in his office, we could watch a movie."

Looking down at the child's big blue eyes, he couldn't help but stare in amazement. She was so full of energy, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Well sure kiddo, you lead the way."

She grabbed his hand, sending a shock of electricity throughout his body. Her touch was extremely warm to his body, just like her mother's. As she half-dragged him down the hallway, he stared down at her tiny grip, laughing at how much she was like her mom.

"So do you wanna watch the one with the Mirror Master, or we could watch the one where The Flash loses his memory, OR we could watch--"

"Whoa whoa whoa. You have The Flash on DVD?" Danny folded his arms across his chest in shock. This little girl was quickly turning into his new favorite person.

"Well yeah, he's my hero," she replied. "See?" Turning around, she revealed that she was wearing a Flash costume cape that had obviously been worn down from previous uses.

"Really now? What a coincidence. Did you happen to know that the Flash is my favorite comic book character of all time?"

"Really?!" the little girl replied excitedly.

"Yes really, he was my favorite when I was growin up. I even dressed up as the Flash for Halloween one year."

"Me too! I was him for Halloween last year!" The more they talked, the fonder Bailey began to grow of Danny.

"Wow, that's pretty impressive. Do you have any of his comics?"

"No, mommy says they're too much money."

"Well, I happen to have the entire collection of his comics. Maybe I'll have to show them to you sometime."

"Would you really?!"

"Sure kiddo, anytime you want."

As the two began to talk more and more about their favorite things, including the New York Yankees, Batman, and the Flash, Don peeked in his head in the door quietly. If there was any way to get Danny and Lindsay back together, what more common ground could there be than their daughter? Grinning to himself, he walked away from the office, a smile of accomplishment plastered over his face.

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After nearly four hours of processing, Lindsay was absolutely exhausted. The case had turned out to be much more complicated than she had thought, connecting back to an unsolved murder 3 months ago. She had spent majority of her day in the lab running evidence through GCMS, finally deciding to take a much deserved break. She made her way down the halls to Flack's office, expecting to find Don sitting at his desk doing paper work and Bailey sprawled out on the floor with a DVD playing and her coloring book and crayons on the ground in front of her. What a shock she got when she arrived to a scene much different than what she had expected.

As she opened the door, she saw Danny laying on the couch with Bailey in his lap, his arms around the child protectively and her hands wrapped around his arms. Both were asleep as the end credits to the Flash episode they had been watching rolled across the television screen. She almost dropped her stack of files as she stared at the peaceful pair. It was just like she had always imagined, father and daughter, like they should be. It brought tears to her eyes to see them as they were. She wished she could just freeze this moment in time, and she couldn't help but wonder what her life would be like if her days were always like this. Her thoughts were interrupted by the stirring body of Danny Messer. He began to awake, but realized the child was still asleep in his arms, so he tried not to move her. Glancing up, he noticed Lindsay leaning against the frame of the door, staring at the two with a smile on her face. As soon as he returned her gaze, the look on her face turned. She had been caught. Somewhat startled, she stood up straight and tried to make the words she wanted to say come to her lips.

"Hey Montana. Busy day?"

"Uhh…uhh, y-yeah. Busy. How is she?"

"She's fine. Passed out 5 minutes into the movie. Don said you'd be back in five minutes. I think he set us up," he replied softly, with a chuckle.

The little girl in his arms began to stir. She rubbed her eyes and looked up to see that her mother was back from being out in the field.

"Hi mommy!" she said excitedly, jumping out of Danny's arms and sleepily walking over to greet the woman.

"Hey baby, did you have fun with Uncle Flack?"

"Uncle Flack had to go work, so I stayed with Danny. Did you know he has _all _of the Flash comic books? He said I could read them whenever I wanted!"

"That's cool Bay, but I think we'd better get going. What do you say to Danny?"

"Thank you Danny! Will you be here to play next time too?"

Lindsay gave her daughter a nervous glance, not realizing how attached the small child had become in such a short amount of time. Then again, she had fallen for him the first time she saw him.

"Well, I don't know yet. I've gotta go talk to someone about gettin a job here first. And I don't know if your mom would let me watch you again, your Uncle Flack seems to have that job down pretty well as far as I can tell."

"Please mommy? Please can I still play with Danny?"

The pleading look in her daughter's eyes made the refusal a hard thing to come by. "We'll see Bay. Danny's a busy guy, and if he's going to be working here too, I don't know how much time he's going to have to play with you."

"What if he came over for dinner then?"

Danny and Lindsay glanced over at each other. Both were stunned at the little girl's proposal, but neither knew what actions they should take. Bailey's charm was something no one could refuse, but Danny wasn't sure if Lindsay would deny her the request at her own expense. He said a silent prayer to God that she wouldn't.

"Oh please mommy? If he came over for dinner he could bring the comic books with him, and then we could all watch more of my Flash movies."

She was becoming more and more persuasive by the second, and Lindsay found that she had no choice. She had to give in.

"Well, I can't deny you a night of Flash, can I? How does Friday night work for you?" she said, looking Danny's way with a look on her face that said "if you screw this up, I will personally hunt you down and rip your throat out".

"Uhh, uhh, it, that's fine, that's fine. Friday it is."

"Yay! Friday night!" Bailey shouted enthusiastically.

"Well, we've gotta get going Bay. Grab your stuff, I gotta get dinner going."

"Okay, bye Danny! I'll see you Friday, and don't forget to bring the comic books!" she said as she gave him a hug, once again warming up his body.

"See you then kid. Don't worry, I won't forget um, I promise."

As Bailey made her way out the door, her pigtails bobbing as she skipped down the hallway, Lindsay turned back to Danny.

"Hey, you know you didn't have to do that Linds."

"I know, but I love my daughter, and I guess I can put up with you for one night for her," she said, shooting him a glance that was half serious, half playful. As she quirked her eyebrow, he caught her gaze and tried to come up with something witty to come back with.

"Well, anything that'll get you to give me another chance Montana. Thank you."

"No problem Messer. Just don't go screwing this up, or I may have to bring out the wrath with a little more than my fist this time."

They looked at each other intently for a few more seconds until the small voice of Bailey interrupted them.

"Come on mommy, Spongebob comes on at 6!"

"I'm coming sweetie," she yelled down the hallway. "Later Messer."

"See ya Montana."

He laughed as he watched her walk out the door. Checking to make sure that she had rounded the corner, he pumped his fist into the air and yelled "Hey Oh!", only to be greeted by the laugh of Don Flack.

"Have a good time Mess?"

"Oh, I didn't realize anyone was standing there," he said a little embarrassed.

"Yeah, I heard your little victory chant from a mile away," he replied with a chuckle.

"Thanks Flack."

"For what? You did this all on your own Danno. You're on the right track, just don't screw it up. I don't wanna have to arrange your dates every other week."

"Uhh yeah, sure thing Flack, I'll do my best," he said nervously.

"Now, why don't you go in and get that job of yours back?"

With a smile, Danny grabbed his jacket and made his way down the hall towards the office of Mac Taylor.

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Lindsay plopped down onto the couch. As soon as she had gotten into the car, she began rethinking what she had done. Should she really let him over to her house, just the two of them and Bailey, to have dinner and play with her daughter? Was this taking it too fast? Was this all a mistake? Sighing, she stared at her daughter who was now sitting cross legged in front of the tv singing along with the Spongebob theme song. She would just have to take things as they went. There was no turning back now. Looking over at the calendar hanging on the wall, she realized that in four days time, she would be sitting down to a meal with Danny Messer.

"Isn't Friday going to be fun mommy?" Bailey turned and asked her mother.

"I'm sure it will be," Lindsay replied. "And pretty interesting at that."

-----------

Pacing around the carpet in Mac's office, Danny's mind was racing. He was having dinner with Lindsay and Bailey on Friday. Was he really ready for this? He sure as hell hoped he wouldn't make a fool of himself. His thought were jogged as the door behind him opened and Mac Taylor entered the room.

"Danny Messer. I heard rumor that you were back in town. Good to see you back."


	7. Chapter 7

hey my lovely readers :)

well, this didn't exactly turn out the way id planned, but i needed something to bridge between here and friday night.

and yes, that means that the next chapter will be all about friday night (thats your cue to start dancing) :)

hahha.

maybe with a little review motivation, i can have it up sooner rather than later ? :)

enjoy (:

Chapter 7

"Bailey, you've hardly touched your dinner, is everything alright? You gettin sick on me kiddo?" Lindsay said to her daughter as she reached across the table to place her hand on the little girl's forehead. She was starting to grow worried. Bailey was sitting with her chin on her fists, staring disgustedly at her dinner. At age four, she was already turning into a teenager, which made Lindsay equally as humored as she was scared.

"But I'm not hungry. Can I just go back and watch tv?"

"Bay, you barely ate your breakfast, I found your lunch under Uncle Flack's desk, and now you won't eat your dinner? I even made your favorite, Scooby Doo mac and cheese. Are you okay sweetie?"

"I'm fine, I'm not sick I just don't wanna eat. Can I go watch tv. Please?" she said with a tired look in her eyes.

Feeling she had no choice but to give in, she shooed the little girl off and sighed as she began to clean up the kitchen. As she scrubbed away at the pots and dishes, her mind wandered to Danny. He had looked so peaceful laying in Flack's office with their daughter sleeping in his arms.

Their daughter.

He still didn't know. It pained her to keep the secret from him, but until he proved that he deserved to be back in their lives, she couldn't find a way around it. If he knew she was his child, she knew he would want to spend every waking moment with her. She couldn't bare the thought of being away from Bailey or having to deal with custody battles or any of that nonsense. She couldn't shake the thought from her mind, but would Danny really try and take her little girl away from her? No, she thought, he would never do anything like that. As much as she wanted to think of him as a self-centered bigot, she knew in her heart that he would wait for her to accept him as a father. Reassuring herself that he would wait only made her think of all the time he would spend waiting. He was going to do anything to get her back, wasn't her? The thought of him down on his knees begging and pleading made her laugh. He was a good man; she knew he would take the right steps to gain her trust back. The only question left was, was she ready for it? She had four days to decide. In four days, he would be in her apartment, in that very kitchen, having dinner with she and Bailey. In four days, he would be sitting here joking with his daughter as they read Flash comics. In four days, they would be sitting on the couch watching a movie, Bailey wanting to cuddle between the two, having all the attention like she usually did. In four days, Lindsay might just fall right back into his arms.

-----------

He didn't know what to say.

Mac had been his biggest challenge by far, apart from Lindsay of course, and he stared at the man, mouth agape, not knowing what to do. The older man stepped forward, hand outstretched with a laugh growing on his face.

"Did you really think I was going to shut the door in your face Danny? It's good to see you again." Shaking Mac's hand, Danny truly began to feel like he had been welcomed back into the family. He sat down in the chair opposite Mac's as the man got situated at his desk.

"So I hear you're looking for a job?"

"Well, yeah, I mean, if I'm gonna be livin here again I gotta find work, gotta find a way to support myself," he began nervously.

"Well Danny, I told you my door was always open and that when you were ready, a job would be right here where you left it. Are you willing to start back at the bottom again?"

"Yeah, yeah I know, I gotta start back at the bottom. I kinda screwed everything up big time, didn't I Mac?"

"You needed time to think Danny. Grieving the loss of a loved on, and an entire family at that, is not in any way screwing up. Your choice to stay gone was your choice alone, and if you needed that to gain your closure, then that's what you had to do. Everyone mourns in different ways. I had my way when I lost Claire, and you chose a different way when you lost your family. Don't think that what you did was entirely wrong, because it wasn't in the slightest. Your only mistake was not telling your family what was going on inside of you. And by family, I mean all of us Danny. You've still got all of us here; we're not going anywhere. There will always be one of us here to lean on or talk to or just to be there when you're down. Why didn't you come to us Danny?"

He didn't know what to say. Mac was so accepting and so wise, his words stunned Danny.

"Well…when I knew that they were gone forever, I honestly didn't know what to do Mac. I couldn't just pick up and keep goin. I had to take him down Mac. I couldn't just…let him get away with what he had done. Someone had to bring that bastard down, and I wanted it to be me. I wanted him to know that if my family was going to die at his hands, he would die at mine. But…but as I kept searchin for him, I realized I was wastin my time…I was wastin my time, and it had been too long to come back. I didn't think I'd be able to show my face anywhere, especially here. I let my family down, I let you guys down, I let Lindsay down, and I let myself down. I didn't know where to go."

"You can always come back here Danny. Look around you. The people here are here for you. I hope you realize that now, that if you ever need anything, you just knock on one of our doors and it's done."

"I know that Mac, I know that now. But I tried that with Lindsay, and I almost screwed it all up again."

"Ahh, so you've seen Lindsay then?"

"Yeah, yeah I saw her. I can't believe I let her go Mac. This Cameron guy you hired? I don't like him, I don't like him one bit. And I gotta try with all my power to get her away from him, but I don't know how I'm gonna do that, especially with that precious little girl of hers. I can't tear them apart again, especially not the kid. How am I supposed to fix this?"

Mac laughed to himself. The thought of Lindsay being with Cameron Burke was always a joke around the lab considering how desperate Cameron was to be with Lindsay. But it anything would make Danny fight more, it was definitely having Cameron to get rid of as motivation. So he decided against revealing the truth. "Danny, you love Lindsay, am I right?"

"Of course I love her. With all of my heart Mac. That hasn't ever changed."

"Well there's your solution."

At this, Danny was confused. Sure he loved Lindsay with every fiber of his being, but how was that going the be the solution to everything? The confused look on his face gained a chuckle from Mac.

"Danny, if you love her enough, your love for each other will pull you through this. You two belong together, everyone here could tell that from the moment you met her. Now your job is to get this back on track. Choose your path wisely, and don't let her get away from you again. Just trust me on this one, your love will conquer all."

"Wow…Thanks Mac. Thanks."

He stood up, shaking the man's hand with a goofy grin on his face like he had just discovered the secret of life.

"You're welcome. Like I said, my door is always open. And Danny?" he said as the young man was about to exit the office.

"Yeah?"

"I'll expect you here bright and early for your shift tomorrow."

Danny smiled at this, and mock-saluted his boss. "Thanks Mac. You don't know how much I appreciate this."

"Just don't screw it up Messer," he replied jokingly.

"I'm not makin any promises but I'll try my hardest," he replied as he made his way to the parking lot, excited as ever.

He had his job back.

He had his team back.

Now, all he needed was his Lindsay back.

-----------

As she finished up the dishes, Lindsay heard the patter of little feet making their way back into the main part of the apartment. She saw Bailey make her way tiredly over the couch, plopping down almost before she had made her way completely to it. Lindsay walked over, noticing that her daughter was clad in long sleeved pajamas and wrapped in a blanket. It was easily 75 degrees outside and not much cooler inside the building, why was the child so cold? She glanced down to see that she was already asleep, although it was only 6:45. Sweat matted her forehead, but she was at the same time shivering. Lindsay once again put her hand to the little girl's forehead, feeling that it wasn't too high above the normal temperature. She sat down on the couch and carefully picked the little girl up, cradling her like she had when she was a baby, and cuddling her to her chest. She hated seeing her baby girl sick, but now that she wasn't running a fever, Lindsay became scared. As it grew later into the night, Lindsay carried Bailey back to her room, figuring she would be more comfortable there. She tucked the little girl in and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Good night baby girl. I hope you feel better," she whispered as she closed the door. She decided to get ahead on case work for the next day, and around 11:30, she decided to call it a night. Laying down in her bed, she began to dream about the life she wished she had with Danny.

-----------

As he made his way down the hallway towards the exit of the crime lab, Danny found himself face to face with the one person he didn't want to see.

Cameron Burke.

It took all his strength not to punch him in the face, especially when the man began to speak to him.

"Hey, you're Danny Messer right?" he said, thrusting his hand in Danny's direction.

_Be polite, don't screw this up _he thought to himself.

"Yeah, that's me."

"So you're the infamous comeback kid. Great to finally meet you. I'm Cameron. Cameron Burke."

"Yeah, I think I saw you the other night at Lindsay's place."

"Oh, that was you at the door? It all makes sense now!"

This guy was too animated. Danny was getting sick of it already and they hadn't even been talking for five minutes.

"Yep, that was me. Nothin gets past you does it?"

"Nope! Well, I've gotta get back to work, but nice meeting you! Hope to see you around here more often," he said as he walked away, that stupid grin that never left his face just begging Danny to punch it off.

"Yeah yeah, you'll be seein a hell of a lot more of me jackass," Danny said under his breath. But he was bound and determined not to let anything ruin this.

He made his way back to Flack's house and crashed in the guest room as soon as he had arrived. Staring up at the ceiling with his hands behind his head, he started thinking about Lindsay. Glancing over at the clock and seeing that it was 11:33, he closed his eyes and dreamt about Lindsay, about what their life would be like when he got his girl back.

-----------

"What the hell is this stuff?" It was his first day back on the job. He figured he'd be demoted to most of the crappy jobs, but he didn't think that when Flack had said that's what the rookies got, he meant it literally.

"That my dear Messer is the contents of a port-a-pottie. Make sure you shower before you step foot back into my apartment," Flack said patting him on the back and laughing as he walked out of the room. It was going to be a long day.

As he sifted through the evidence trying not to gag, he heard Lindsay sneak in, trying not to laugh at the faces he made.

"'s not funny Montana. Why don't you come over here and stick your face in this crap?"

"Actually Messer, it's very funny. I see it as payback."

"Payback for what?" he replied quirking an eyebrow, both at her and at the stench of the contents of the container in front of him.

"Don't you remember my first case? The tiger dung? This is your first case Messer, you know the rookie always gets stuck with the shit jobs." She smirked at him as she gathered the chemicals she needed and went to make her way out the door.

"Hey Lindsay, wait up." He threw his gloves off and chased after her, reaching into his back pocket to reveal a Flash comic book, worn down from authenticity and previous readings.

"Did you bring the little one in today? I found this last night and thought she might like it."

Lindsay almost began to cry. He was holding the comic out in front of her, and as she stared at the villains on the cover, she recognized it as one of Bailey's favorites.

"That's really nice of you Danny. Yes, she's here, but she's not feeling too well. I think she's coming down with the flu. She's sleeping in my office, I'll give it to her when she wakes up." Not wanting to cause a scene, she thanked him, took the magazine, and made her way back to her office, leaving Danny in the dust, utterly confused. She opened the door to her office where Bailey lay sleeping on the small armchair in the corner. She smiled at the sight and placed the magazine on the coffee table next to her. Brushing the hair out of her daughter's eyes, she felt the heat radiating off of her forehead. She hated it when her little girl was sick. She tucked the blanket that she had been covered with tighter around her small frame and sat down at her desk, beginning her paperwork.

-----------

As their shifts were coming to an end, Danny had failed in his attempts catch a glimpse of Bailey. He adored the child after only one day of knowing her, but he still couldn't seem to get enough of her. Walking down the hall towards Flack's office, a tiny body collided with his. Looking down, he realized his wish had been granted.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" he could hear her say as she hugged his legs. "This is my favorite episode _ever_! Thank you Danny!" He squatted down to her level and could tell that she was clearly ill, but trying to stay awake long enough to thank him.

"No problem kiddo. It's my favorite too."

"Really!?"

"Of course, it was one of the first ones I ever got. Tell you what, I've read it enough times, why don't you keep it. You'll have somethin to do while you're at home sick, huh?"

"Yeah I guess. Mommy says I have to stay home tomorrow. But I can really keep it?!"

"Sure, you'll probably get better use out of it than I would. I hope you feel better kiddo."

"Thanks Danny. I hope I do too. I don't wanna be sick for Friday."

"Well that wouldn't be fun, now would it? You'd better go home and take some medicine then. And don't give your mommy a hard time about it, she just wants you to get better," he said glancing up at Lindsay who was standing behind Bailey smiling.

"Okay, I will, pinkie promise," Bailey said, sticking out her little finger. Danny and Lindsay couldn't help but laugh.

"Pinkie promise it is then," he replied, wrapping his finger around hers, winning himself a big four year old smile.

"Well, I gotta get goin. Feel better kiddo."

"Bye Danny. Thanks for the comic book!"

They parted ways and he couldn't seem to get the smile off his face.

Friday couldn't come soon enough.


	8. Chapter 8

hey all :)

well, i had the house to myself today and didn't feel like making you wait any longer.

so here it is.

the moment you've all been waiting for.

FRIDAY NIGHT ! :)

reviews are always appreciated.

enjoy (:

Chapter 8

He stood in front of the open closet, clad in only a towel, hair dripping wet from the shower, trying to decide what to wear. If he wanted to impress them, he had to look his best. He had decided early on that his Flash costume was a little much, and it would probably just make everything awkward for all parties involved. Then again, the tuxedo was also out there. He was stuck trying to find the medium between the two extremes. Did he get dressed up, or was casual dress the way to go? He stared at the clothes wishing they would coordinate themselves when Flack walked in.

"Havin a little trouble there Danno?"

"Okay, so does the blue tie match the black shirt with the tan pants, or should I go for the powder blue shirt and the black pants?"

"Actually, I think you'd look better in pastels," Flack chuckled, noting how little fashion sense his friend had. "Dan, you're going to eat pizza with a four year old and her mother. Chances are you'll end up spillin somethin on yourself more than once. Just wear what ya got on, you look fine."

Danny stared down at his jeans, green polo, and black Converse that he had worn to work that day. Would this really work? This faded outfit that he had worn a thousand times over?

"Danny, trust me, if you think about this too much you'll end up over doin it. Just go and have a good time."

"Thanks man," Danny said as a grin crept onto his face.

"No problemo buddy. Now, don't stay out too late, no drugs, and make sure Bailey stays away from the Smirnoff. Kid gets wild if she knocks back too much of that stuff."

"Ha ha, very funny dad," he replied, grabbing his keys and heading out the door.

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Her tiny fingers grasped the small glass tube, trying to pinpoint exactly where the red liquid inside it stopped. She furrowed her eyebrows in frustration.

"Mommy, what does this say?" she asked pointing at the numbers.

"One hundred and one," Lindsay groaned as the child felt her forehead. Whatever Bailey had just gotten over, she had given straight to Lindsay. And Danny would be there in 20 minutes.

"Here, take this," Bailey half demanded, shoving the red bottle of Children's Motrin and a spoon in her mother's face.

"Thanks Bay, but I don't think this is gonna make me feel any better."

"But you have to get better," the little girl whined. "Danny's gonna be here soon, and if you're sick, we won't be able to watch Flash!"

"I'm so sorry baby girl, I think we're going to have to postpone our little party," she replied wiping away the tears that were forming in Bailey's eyes. Bailey plopped down on the opposite end of the couch and began to cry silently. She had been looking forward to this all week, and now it would be another month until they both had the same night off. Lindsay hated disappointing her little girl, but she felt like crap, and she could barely keep her eyes open. She began to doze off as she felt the little girl get up, dreaming that she wasn't lying half dead on her couch.

Bound and determined to still have her Friday night of fun, Bailey began rummaging through the kitchen. She knew her mother kept the phone number to the pizza place there somewhere. She brought a kitchen chair over to where the phone was hung on the wall and attempted reading the speed dials scribbled out next to it. Although she was only four years old, she was smarter than the average child, and could make out the word "pizza" written next to the number 7. She picked up the phone, pressed the number with her index finger, and waited for the ringing on the other end of the phone to be replaced by the voice of the pizza man.

"Hi Tony, this is Bailey!"

"Hiya kiddo. You and your mommy orderin another pizza this weekend?"

"Yeah, Danny is coming over later and we're gonna watch the Flash and have a party."

"Danny? You talkin about Danny Messer?" Even the pizza delivery guy knew about Danny. After all those years, she still ordered from the same take-out place they would order from after long nights at work when they were both too exhausted to cook.

"Yeah I think that's his name. But we're gonna have a lot of fun. He's bringing his comics over and everything!"

"Sounds good kid," he said with a chuckle, both at the enthusiasm in the little girl's voice and at the fact that Danny Messer was back in town. "So do ya want the usual?"

"Pepperoni with extra cheese please!"

"You got it kiddo. Tell your mommy it'll be $16.75."

"Ok. Bye Tony!"

"Talk to you later kid."

With her first task accomplished, she set out to ready the rest of the house. With the plates and cups being on the top shelves of the higher cabinets, she improvised and found the cake plates from her last birthday party, Flash themed of course, with cups to match. She set them out on the table, as well as napkins and apple juice. She then made her way into the living room, taking the Flash DVD's off the shelf and lining them up in order in front of the television. Now, all she had to do was wait.

She grabbed the remote and turned the tv on, careful to make sure the volume was on low so she wouldn't wake her sick, sleeping mother. Halfway into her episode of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, there was a small knock at the door. She jumped up, excited as ever, and dragged a chair to the door, climbed up, and stared through the peephole, seeing a nervous looking Danny, holding a stack of comic books in one hand and a small bouquet of daisies in the other.

"Danny!" she quietly exclaimed as she jumped off the chair, shoving it across the room as she opened the door.

"Hey kiddo," he said as she wrapped her arms around his legs.

"Hi Danny! I'm so happy you came!"

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss this for the world. I've been lookin forward to this all week. Where's your mommy at?" Looking around the apartment, he noticed that Lindsay was nowhere to be found.

"Shh. She's sleeping on the couch. She got my flu."

"Aww really? Well that's not good," he whispered, setting the flowers and comic books down on the counter as he quietly walked over to the couch and kneeled down to stare at Lindsay's sleeping figure. She looked so peaceful, no matter how sick she was. He had always loved watching her sleep.

"Should we wake her up?" Bailey asked, joining Danny next to the couch.

"I don't know kiddo. Maybe we should let her sleep."

"But she's gonna miss out on all the fun!"

"I know, but if she's sick, maybe sleepin'll make her feel better." Noticing the hurt expression in the little girl's eyes, he had no choice. "Alright, alright, I'll try. But I'm not promisin anything. Hey, Montana," he whispered, putting his face a little closer to hers. "Montana, I'm here. We can't start this party without you."

"Mhm," Lindsay muttered, turning in her sleep and letting out a cough that sounded like it pained her.

"I'm sorry kiddo, I don't think she's wakin up anytime soon. But we can have fun on our own for a little while, right?" he asked her as he gently draped a blanket across Lindsay's now shivering body.

"I guess so. But I wish mommy would wake up."

"So do I, believe me," he replied, standing up as he watched Lindsay dream. His thought were jarred by the tiny fingers that grabbed his hand.

"Wanna see my room?"

"Sure kiddo," he chuckled as he led him to her bedroom. There were pictures of Bailey everywhere, plastered on both sides of the hallway. Bailey as a toddler, Lindsay and Bailey on Christmas, their family photo from that year, as well as various others. There was, however, one that stood out to him in particular. It had been taken the day she was born. Lindsay was sitting up in her hospital bed staring down at the little bundle in her arms, tears in her eyes and a look of wonder and amazement on her face as the little baby girl stared back up at her with wide eyes. It made him smile, she looked so natural holding the baby girl. She had that mother's glow radiating around her, and he couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like had he been there with her.

As he entered Bailey's bedroom, he was somewhat shocked by the amount of contrast there was displayed throughout the little room. The walls were pink, not too bright to blind his eyes, but not quite the color one would expect to find in a baby's room. Just the right shade of pink for any little girl that dreamed of being a princess. Her bed--a tiny little thing, just like her--was draped with a Disney Princess comforter, but a Yankee's blanket was folded neatly at the end of it. There was a nightstand next to the bed, white oak just like the rest of the furniture. On it, there was a picture of Bailey and Lindsay, from the previous summer. Lindsay had made the mistake of letting Bailey have her own ice cream treat from the ice cream man, and both girls had ended up with chocolate beards. There was also a Yankee lamp and a tiny baseball mitt on the table as well. At the end of her bed was a basket stuffed to the top with stuffed animals of every kind, and a pink and white hamper next to it. He laughed as he saw the plush Flash doll and cape seated prominently on her bed. As he further scanned the room, he had to wonder, where were the pictures of Cameron in all of this? Maybe she was a mommy's girl. He didn't know, but his thoughts were interrupted by the small child tugging on his pants leg.

"Wanna see my preschool picture?"

"Why not?"

He sat down on her bed as she crawled into his lap, clutching a photo in her hand. "This is Kara, and this is Mike, and this is Julie, and this is Tommy. But no one likes him. Even the teacher." He laughed as she made it a point to make him realize that he was the hated child in the class. But he knew the signs. She had a crush on this boy. He couldn't help but laugh as he thought of Lindsay dealing with her baby girl's first crush. She continued naming off each and every child in her class, stopping only to especially point out her best friend Anna, as well as herself, wearing a pink jumper and white turtleneck underneath, hair in pigtails with matching pink ribbons, looking cute as ever with her toothy grin. As she finished up the naming of the children, she was about to switch to her t-ball team photo when there was another knock at the door.

"The pizza man's here!" she announced excitedly, hopping off Danny's lap. He was disappointed that his quality time with Lindsay's little girl had sort of ended, until she grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "Come on! You've gotta meet Tony!"

"Tony?" he questioned as they opened the door together.

"Danny?" The tall, Italian pizza delivery boy stood outside the apartment, wearing the same shirt and hat he had worn when Danny had still lived there, right down to the smudge in the lettering on the baseball cap.

"Hey Tony. Long time no see."

"Yeah really Messer. 'S been a while huh?"

"Yeah, yeah too long Tony. So, are you still screwin up the orders like ya used to?"

"Hey now Messer, don't be givin me crap in front of my best customer," Tony said grinning down at Bailey. "This kid is one hell of a pizza eater."

This earned a giggle from Bailey. "He said the 'h-word' Danny."

"Yeah, and don't you go repeatin that, your mother would have my head."

"Speakin of Linds, where's she at? I gotta get paid somehow," Tony asked, peering around Danny and Bailey to scan the apartment for Lindsay.

"She's sleepin on the couch. I guess she caught the flu. She usually leaves the money out on the table, but I didn't see any when I came in. Here, I'll pick it up for her. How much do I owe ya?"

"$16.75. Plus my tip."

"Well here's a tip, try brushin your teeth every once in a while, maybe you'll actually get a date." Bailey began to giggle again as Danny fished the money out of his wallet, exchanging the bills for the pizza box.

"Thanks Messer. See ya around."

"Same to you bud. And hey, seriously, brush your teeth, you got a nasty stench comin from your mouth," he replied, trying to get another laugh out of Bailey. When his wish was granted, it made him laugh as well, and they were still giggling and cracking jokes about the pizza man when they heard Lindsay begin to stir.

"Well good morning Sleeping Beauty. Have a nice nap? You owe me 20 bucks."

Lindsay was slightly confused as to what was going on. She remembered falling asleep, she remembered dreaming that Danny was there, but she never actually recalled opening the door and letting the real Danny inside. She smiled as she looked into the kitchen, seeing Danny and Bailey eating pizza off of cardboard Flash plates and drinking apple juice out of Green Lantern party cups. She hadn't ordered a pizza, had she? What a little sneak her daughter was.

"Hi mommy! Look! Danny's here and now we have pizza! Are you feeling better?"

"Hey baby girl. I'm still feelin a little crummy but I think I'm getting better. The nap helped. Hi Danny."

"Hey Montana. You up for some pizza or do you think it'll make you puke? Cause quite frankly, I wasn't really plannin on cleanin chunks of barf outta my clothes tonight."

This made Bailey burst out into laughter. Lindsay cocked her head to the side, trying to give him an angry look, but falling into the contagious laughter that now filled the apartment. She wrapped the blanket around body and made her way over to the table, taking a seat on the other side of Bailey.

"I think I'll pass on the pizza for now. I don't want you to have to do any extra laundry," she said, shooting him a playful stare.

"Well I appreciate your concern. You feelin any better? You want me to get you some medicine or somethin?"

"No I think I'll be fine," she replied with a nasty cough.

"Whoa there Montana, you sure you don't want anything for that cough? I don't want you to get sicker than you already are."

"It's okay Danny, really, I'll be fine."

"You aren't just wimpin out cause you don't like the taste, are ya? Listen to this kid, I remember this one time, we were at work right? And your mom was dying of the flu, but she refused to go home. So I'd been trying and trying to get her to take some medicine, and finally she just takes the bottle and throws it away, and ends up with strep throat the next day. So I go over to see her and it turns out she wouldn't take the medicine I gave her cause she hates the taste. She was like a little kid, no offense to you or anything."

"Really mommy? You wouldn't take it because it tasted funny? I _always _take my medicine," she said matter-of-factly.

"Way to rat me out to my own kid Messer, thanks a lot," Lindsay said to Danny.

"It's okay mommy, I still love you, even if you are a wimp."

Danny began to laugh so hard that the apple juice he was drinking spewed from both his mouth and nose all across the table. After he had sprayed majority of the pizza he and Bailey were eating with juice, Lindsay and Bailey stared at him for a moment before they too erupted out in laughter. After a good ten minutes, they all finally calmed down enough to throw the destroyed pizza away and clean up the kitchen. Danny realized his shirt was as equally as soaked as the kitchen table had been.

"Hey Montana, you think I could borrow one of Cameron's shirts?"

Lindsay's face dropped.

Shit.

He still thought they were together, didn't he?

Her biggest fear, though, was that Bailey would say something.

"Bay sweetie, why don't you go get your pajamas on so we can watch the movie?"

"Okay! Danny do you wanna help me pick which ones I should wear?"

"Sure kiddo, I'll be there in a second." He eyed Lindsay, noticing the fear in her eyes. "Hey, if you don't want me to borrow one a his shirts, it's okay. I'm sorry for askin."

"No no, its fine, just let me go find one. Why don't you go with Bailey while I go look."

He followed her down the hallway, and they were nearly touching the entire walk. He was purposely speeding up and she was purposely slowing down, both of them hoping to "accidentally" touch before they parted into separated rooms. He was surprised when she stopped, and he became so close that he could feel the subsiding fever radiating off of her back.

"Montana, you're warm," he said as she turned around. "Why don't you just go to bed? I'll get Bailey in bed and I can go home early, it's no big deal."

By now, their faces were centimeters apart. He could feel her breath on his face, as could she feel his. He was about to reach up and brush the hair out of her face when he heard his name being called from the next room.

"Danny! Are you going to come help me?"

"I'd better get that," he whispered against her cheek. "I'm coming kiddo."

Their fingers brushed as he walked away, sending an energetic pulse up his arm.

"So, what have we got here?"

"Well, I have three, but I don't know which ones to wear." Bailey was standing in front of her bed with her hands on her hips staring at her choices.

"I have my Flash pajamas, my Barbie pajamas, and my Speed Racer pajamas."

"Wait. Speed Racer? Kid, have you been takin lessons from your mom or something?"

"What? I love speed racer. His car is awesome!"

"The Batmobile is so much better." Now _he _had his hands on his hips. He was about to square off with a four year old.

"What are you talking about? The Mach 5 has a rotary saw, AND a monkey!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah! I'll even show you." She began rummaging through her closet, and came up with a small replica of the Mach 5, complete with a pop-out rotary saw and Chim Chim the monkey coming out of the trunk.

"Well, I can't argue with that can I? I guess I'll just have to get you a better car, let's say the Batmobile?"

"Danny, just face it, the Mach 5 is so much better." He turned around to see Lindsay standing against the door frame holding up a familiar looking Yankees t-shirt.

"You know what Montana, we will finish this later, I don't want you to have to lose in front of your kid," he said walking towards her with a smirk on his face.

"Oh really? Because I'm thinking you'd be the one to lose, and I don't think you want Bailey to have to see you get beat by a girl, do you?" she replied, tossing the shirt in his direction.

"This my shirt Montana?"

"You left it here. I figured I'd keep it in case you ever wanted it back." In the back of her mind, she was grateful that he had left some of his clothes in the drawers that they had at one time shared. When she would start thinking about him, she would sometimes put one of them on, and she could still smell his scent that had faded into the fabric. It got her through the night sometimes.

"Well I appreciate it. Bay, I think you should wear the Flash ones, they'll go good with our theme. As for you Montana, I think you should put this on," he said throwing the t-shirt back at her. "The virus might still be on those clothes, best you get out of um, no?"

He gave her a grin, and she smirked back at him. She turned back across the hall to change and he walked out of the room to let Bailey put her pajamas on, and headed back into the kitchen. As he was fingering through his comics, trying to decide which one he should show Bailey first, a hand was suddenly dropped on his shoulder.

"Those flowers for me?" she whispered in a voice that brought him back to the old days. It made him want to take her up in his arms and make her his, and that cause wasn't much helped when he turned around to see her standing there in a pair of cotton shorts and his t-shirt. She had always looked good in his shirts. It took all of his willpower not to kiss her right then and there.

"Uhh, yeah, yeah they're for you, for letting me come tonight. I really love that kid. So, thanks." He awkwardly thrust the flowers to her, and she laughed as she took them from his hands and put them in a vase.

"No Mr. Messer, thank you. You really made her happy tonight."

At this news, he couldn't help but smile. Just the thought of making Lindsay's daughter happy was enough to make him the happiest man alive. As they stood there staring at each other, Bailey made her way back into the kitchen as well, wearing her short sleeved Flash pajamas.

"So are we ready?"

"Sure are kiddo. Which one do you wanna watch?" Danny said as they all made their way into the living room.

"How about the one with the magician?"

"Sounds good to me."

She popped the DVD into the player and settled herself cozily between Danny and Lindsay on the couch.

----------

The movie ended and Bailey more than protested when her mother began to tell her that their night was fun was coming to an end.

"But mommy, I'm not even tired. And Danny has all these comics and we didn't even read any of them."

"Well I'll let you borrow um for a little while, there's no rush," Danny replied, not wanting the little girl to be too upset at his departure.

"But I wanted to read one with you," Bailey protested.

"Tell ya what. If you can get your mommy to agree, I'll read one to you as a bedtime story."

"Oh please mommy? Please please please?!" she begged, her big blue eyes more than irresistible.

"Now how could I say no to that face? Alright, alright, you win. Go ahead and pick one out."

"Yay!" Bailey yelled excitedly as she made her way over to the counter to choose her comic. After about five minutes, she made her selection and handed it to Danny, taking his hand with one of hers and Lindsay's with the other. She led them to her bedroom, taking a seat on her bed and patting the mattress on either side of her as a cue for them to take a seat as well.

Danny read the comic with all the different voices of the Flash, the Green Lantern and various other characters, receiving laughs from both Bailey and Lindsay. When the story was over, Bailey yawned and rubber her eyes.

"Thanks for such a fun night Danny." She put her tiny arms around his body and gave him a kiss on the cheek, making him blush and start grinning like an idiot. Hugging her back, he replied, "No problem kiddo. I had a real fun time tonight too. Hope we can do it again soon."

"Me too," she yawned as they tucked her in together and turned the light off.

They exited the room in silence, walking side by side down the hallway, their arms touching, their hands close to being together.

"Danny, thanks again, and I'm sorry about your shirt."

"Ahh it's alright, don't worry about it. I got plenty more back at Flack's. You know, I really had fun tonight. This was nice."

"It was. Bailey adores you, you know. She hasn't stopped talking about you all week."

"And I adore her. She's amazing Linds. You've done a great job with her."

She didn't know what to say. She just stood in the foyer staring at him, wishing he would take her in his arms.

"Well, I better get goin. And you, little missy, take some cough medicine and go to bed. We can't afford you not being around the lab, and that little one can't take care of herself.""Alright dad," she laughed. "I'll see you on Monday then?"

"Monday it is. G'night Linds."

"Night Danny."

With newfound courage, he wrapped his arms around her. It wasn't a lover's hug, it was a friendly hug. They both knew it, but it was still a nice way to end the night. She returned the gesture and they stood in the embrace for a few moments before pulling away, both still feeling a tingling warmth where the other had been.

"I'll see ya later," Danny said as he timidly smiled, backing out the door.

She could hear him yell "BOOM!" as he made his way down the hall, and she couldn't help but laugh. Making her way back into the kitchen, she pulled one of the daisies out of the vase and moved it up to her nose. She could smell his shampoo through the scent of the flower. Not wanting to wake Bailey up with her cough, she reluctantly took the medicine as Danny had ordered her and decided to take refuge on the couch for the night. Cuddling up in his old shirt, the flower still clutched in her hand, she fell asleep with his face still vivid in her mind.

-----------

The entire ride home, he still had that goofy grin on his face. He still couldn't get over the fact that he had just spent an entire night joking and having fun with Lindsay and her precious little girl. And he had even gotten a hug at the end of the night. He walked into Flack's apartment still smiling, and whistling a songless tune. Flack had been watching the Yankees game when the young man entered and couldn't resist laughing at his happy friend.

"Have a good time Danno?"

"Like you wouldn't believe."

With a toothy smile, he turned around and headed to the guest room.

He plopped down onto his bed and went to sleep with a smile on his face.

Things couldn't get much better than this.


	9. Chapter 9

hey all :)

ok ok, i know its been over 10 days since ive updated, get the yelling with out of your systems now. hahah. im sorry !

but here's the next chapter, i PROMISE the chapter you've been waiting for will be up within the next two! you're going to kill me for what happens, but trust me, it'll all turn out okay in the end :)

for now, here's chapter 9.

enjoy (:

Chapter 9

Monday morning couldn't seem to come fast enough.

After moping around for the majority of Saturday and Sunday, Danny was excited--to say the least, that he would be able to see Lindsay again. Sure, arriving two and a half hours early to his shift wouldn't get her there any faster, but it gave him something to keep him busy; something to try to keep his mind off of her until she arrived. Lucky for him, the case load that morning had been more than the current staff could handle, and Mac was more than willing to let Danny help out. He was so caught up in his analysis of a blood-stained glass fragment, he didn't even notice when she walked in and stood right next to him, staring intently as he carefully swabbed the evidence.

"Havin' fun Messer?"

He was startled for a moment, but his face began to brighten as he realized who the voice belonged to.

"Hey Montana, I see you're feelin' better."

"Yeah, I guess I just needed a couple days to sleep it off."

"And that medicine had absolutely nothing to do with your oh-so-speedy recovery?" he said with a smirk.

"Okay, I'll give you credit for that one, but it's been three days and I still have that nasty taste in my mouth."

"Better than coughin' every two seconds, am I right?"

They shared a laugh at their own playful banter. "I guess so. Oh hey, before I forget, here's the money I owe you for the pizza," she said holding out a twenty dollar bill.

"No no no," he said, waving his arms up in protest. "That was my treat, keep your money. I got no use for it."

"But Danny--"

"No buts Montana. Keep your cash, you're hurtin' my pride here."

"Thank you," she replied. "And thanks for such a great night. Bailey hasn't stopped talking about you all weekend."

A huge grin spread onto his face. "Really?"

"Yes really," she said with a laugh. "And she hasn't put down those comic books either. She was already halfway through the stack by Saturday afternoon."

By then, Danny had put his evidence on hold and had completely immersed himself in Lindsay's words. He couldn't believe that after only one night, Bailey was just as attached as he was.

It was déjà vu.

He was falling hard for another Monroe.

"She's a smart kid," Danny said.

"I know, I'm so proud of her. She learned how to read when she was three."

"She gets that from you, ya know."

Lindsay turned bright red. If he only knew how much of her intelligence she got from her father.

"So where's she at now?"

"She had school today. I drop her off before my shift, and she goes with one of the other mothers to a gymnastics class at the community center until I can pick her up."

He was somewhat disappointed at the absence of the child, but his mood was brightened when Lindsay informed him that she only had school Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and that Tuesdays and Thursdays she came to the lab.

"She's quite the little dynamo, ain't she?" He laughed as he imagined the little girl running around doing cartwheels and back flips. As the same thoughts ran through Lindsay's mind, she couldn't help but giggle as well.

"It tires her out a good deal, helps me out some."

"You know, if you ever need a babysitter, I'm only a phone call away."

"I might have to take you up on that offer," she replied with a smile that made Danny melt.

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of Danny's phone ringing.

"Hold on a sec," he said, pressing the answer key. "Messer. Really? You sure? Thanks Mac, I'll be there right away." This day just kept getting better and better.

"Sorry to cut this short Montana, but Hawkes called in sick, and Mac needs another pair of hands out in the field."

It would be his first time at an actual crime scene since he had rejoined the lab. To say he was giddy with anticipation was an understatement.

"Well what are you waiting for? Go!" She laughed, noticing the excitement in his step as he nearly skipped out of the lab station. She shook her head and continued giggling. She hadn't seen his this excited since, well, since Friday night. She made her way over to his evidence, realizing that he's taken off without putting it away, and she figured she would do him a favor and finish it up. She wasn't doing anything anyway, and besides, he would owe her later…

-----------

He had spent the past four and a half hours processing a double homicide, and it was the greatest feeling in the world. It had been so long since he had really gotten his hands dirty and sifted through the piles and piles of evidence, like an open box of puzzle pieces. Oh how he had missed this. Bagging up the last of the evidence, he was ready to reload the truck, return everything back to the lab and end his shift for the day, when his plans were interrupted by his phone. He couldn't contain the smile that crept onto his face as he looked at the screen.

_Call from Lindsay_

"Hey Montana, what's up?"

"Hey Danny, listen, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?"

"Sure, anything, what do ya need?"

"Look, I know it's on short notice but I know your shift is almost over and I just got called out to work a triple and--"

"Whoa, take it easy there Linds, just say the word and it's done."

"I was wondering if you could go to the gym and pick Bailey up for me. I'll only be a couple of hours but her class is over in thirty and there's no way I can get her to a sitter before then. You can just take her back to Flack's place and I'll come pick her up as soon as I can."

BOOM!

If he hadn't been grinning like an idiot before, he sure as hell was now.

"Not a problem, not a problem at all. You want me to feed her dinner or anything?"

"That would be great. Danny, you're a lifesaver."

"You know I'd do anything for you and that little girl."

Lucky for Lindsay, their conversation was over the phone. She didn't want Danny to see her like this, blushing and obnoxiously grinning.

"I've gotta go, but thank you so much."

"No worries Montana, I'll take care of her like she was my own. Have fun."

Before he had even ended the call, he was already in the car headed for the gym. He couldn't wait to see that little girl again.

-----------

He had arrived to the gym at warp speed, and when he stepped foot inside, there was still twenty minutes left of the class. Scoping out the large room, his eyes finally landed on Bailey, wearing a pink leotard and bouncing around the mats, her pigtails bobbing up and down with every jump. He laughed as she did cartwheel after cartwheel around the room; what a little ball of energy she was. As he watched her tumble around the mats, she suddenly looked up and caught his stare, a giant grin present on her face.

"Danny!" she yelled excitedly, bounding over the equipment as fast as her little legs would carry her. "What are you doing here?!" she said as she jumped into his widespread arms.

"Hey kiddo. Your mommy had to work late so she sent me to pick you up. As soon as you get done here, you can come back to the apartment and hang out with me and your Uncle Flack."

"Really?!" she exclaimed.

"Yup. As soon as you're done with class we can go."

As they were discussing their plans for the evening, a tall, blonde woman in work out clothes approached Danny and Bailey.

"Hey Bailey, who's your friend?"

"Miss Christie, this is Danny! Remember, I told you about him earlier?"

"Ahh, the infamous Danny with the comic books. You're all she's been talking about."

"That would be me," he said with a chuckle. "I'm Danny Messer," he said extending a hand.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Christie."

"I assume you're the teacher here?"

"Yes, that would be me. I assume you're here to pick up Bailey then?"

"Yeah, her mom had to work late; I'm just tryin' to help her out."

"Alright, well there's still fifteen minutes of class left. You're welcome to participate."

Danny almost laughed out loud at the suggestion. He was too old to climb around and do somersaults with a bunch of preschoolers.

"That's alright, I'll just watch--"

"No, come play with us Danny! It'll be so much fun." He was cut off by the protesting voice of Bailey who was currently straddled on his right hip. Her face was forming into a pout as he attempted to decline the invitation. What was he supposed to do?

"Do I gotta wear tights?" he replied hesitantly.

"Yay!" Bailey exclaimed jumping out of his arms and grabbing his fingers with her tiny fist, pulling him out into the middle of the floor. He waved embarrassingly at the moms who were giggling at him from the side lines. This was going to be the longest fifteen minutes of his life.

He found himself surrounded by a pack of tiny children, all ooing and ahhing at his height, his badge, the size of his Converse, wanting to know if he was a monster and impossible things like this. Before he knew it he was being dragged towards a foam ramp no more than two feet tall. All of the little kids began to line up behind it, and one by one they each somersaulted down the ramp. Danny's eyes began to bulge out of his head.

"There is no way in hell I'm doing this," he whispered to Christie as he stepped out of line, Bailey's fingers still clutching his own.

Laughing, she replied, "Aww come on Danny, don't be such a downer. Kids, we all want Danny to play too, right?" she said, purposely egging on the already riled up pack of preschoolers.

"Come on Danny, please?" Bailey asked him innocently, tugging on his arm.

He shot Christie a look that said "I'll get you for this later" as the screaming kids shoved him towards the front of the line.

"Well, here goes nothin'." Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and leaned onto the ramp, rolling himself forward. When he landed, he was a little winded, but he managed to stand upright and give the kids an enthusiastic "ta-dah" before he collapsed onto the floor, the mothers applauding from the sides. Bailey ran over to him and promptly sat in the middle of his chest.

"Let's go again, let's go again!"

"Aww Bay, Danny needs a break…" Seeing the look on her face begin to form another pout, he said, "Alright, one more time. But only one." He slowly got up and headed back towards the ramp, earning more applause, this time from the children as well.

"One more time" quickly turned into six, and by then, his back was about ready to snap in two.

"Alright everyone, it's time to wrap up. Let's all thank Danny for coming to play."

He held his hands up in a mock protest as a loud "Thank you Danny" erupted from the crowd of kids. After Bailey had collected her things, they made their way out the door, earning stares and giggles from passerby.

As they made their way to the car, Bailey, holding Danny's hand the entire way, looked up at him with a smile on her face and began to speak.

"That was so much fun Danny! Are you gonna come pick me up everyday?"

The pain in his back twitched as thoughts of swinging from ropes and jumping off balance beams swam through his head.

"I think this was a one time deal kiddo. Your mommy couldn't get out of work and she couldn't find a sitter, so I volunteered."

"Well you should volunteer more, I like playing with you," she said smiling up at him sweetly.

"I like hangin' out with you too bud. I'll talk to your mom, she what we can do."

This made Bailey even more excited as Danny helped her buckle into the car seat in the backseat of the car.

-----------

When they arrived back at the apartment, happy meals in tow, Danny collapsed onto the couch, the ache in his back setting in. He wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and settle into a nice, long nap. He rested his eyes while Bailey ate her chicken nuggets. Just as he began to doze off, he heard the pitter patter of little feet scamper across the tile and stop in front of him. After about a minute, he felt a tiny finger push into his nose.

"Psst…Danny. Are you awake?" the little voice whispered.

He blinked his eyes open, almost jumping when he realized that Bailey was mere centimeters away from his face. "Yeah, yeah I'm up kiddo, I was just restin' my eyes. You all done with your dinner?"

"Yup, I need help on my homework."

Sitting up, he furrowed his brow. "Homework? You're in preschool, what kind of homework could they possibly be givin' you?"

"We're making an all about me book for graduation," she replied matter of factly. "I'm trying to figure out where to put all the pictures. Wanna help?"

"Well sure, why not?" he said getting up from the couch.

Sprawled across the kitchen table were a dozen or so pictures, as well as a pre made book with the words "All About Me" written across the cover. Bailey sat down, and as Danny followed suit, she began to show him the book.

"See? All About Me. Bailey Louise Monroe," she read him the title page, pointing to each word as she spoke it.

"Aww, very cute--wait." As he scanned over the book, he was caught off guard. "Bailey Louise Monroe?

"Yeah, that's my name silly."

"But…you're last name is Monroe?"

"Yeah, what did you think it was?"

"Well, I kind of assumed it would be the same as your daddy's."

"I don't know my---"

There was a knock at the door, interrupting Bailey's confession.

"Hold on a sec kiddo, I gotta get that," he mumbled. As he got up, the pain in his back that he thought had subsided suddenly seemed to be growing worse.

"Hey Messer," a cheerful Lindsay said as the door was opened to Flack's apartment, revealing an obviously pained Danny, one hand on the door frame while the other rested on his lower back.

"Hey Montana," he croaked. "Back so soon?"

"Yeah, Mac let me go early. He said they'd be fine with who was there. Are you okay? You look like you got hit by a truck," she replied as he let her into the apartment.

"Eh, I'll be fine. I think I threw out my back playing in the munchkin circus."

Lindsay tried to stifle a laugh. "You what?"

"Hey, 's not funny. They beg me to play with them and this is the thanks I get? What a load of bull crap."

She saw the pain he was enduring as he slumped into the couch with a groan. She looked into the kitchen, and seeing that Bailey was completely occupied with her crayons and such, she decided to take a bold move forward.

"You know, if you wanted, I could get those kinks out for you," she whispered into his ear in a husky voice, dropping her hands to his shoulders and gently rubbing. He surrendered to her touch, his muscles relaxing instantly at the pulse of her fingers as she continued gently up and down the length of his back. As she began kneading at the small of his back, he let out a low moan. It took all of her strength not to give in to her knees that were quickly turning into a pool of jelly beneath her.

"What'd ya stop for Montana? That feels so good," he groaned.

She hadn't realized that she had stopped, but found a quick excuse as she glanced up to see Bailey getting up from the table and begin to make her way over towards the living room.

"Danny? Where'd you go? Who was at the door?"

"Looks like we've got company Messer," she whispered to him, patting his shoulders before making her way towards Bailey. "Hey baby girl."

"Mommy!" she shouted excitedly, running towards her mother.

"How was school?"

"It was good. We got ice cream for snack today. Tommy gave me his."

"Oh really? And what did you say?"

"I didn't say anything. I shoved it in his face," she declared proudly, a grin on her face that reminded Lindsay of the one Danny often gave her when he knew he did something wrong, but didn't seem to care.

"Bailey Louise!" She was trying as hard as she could to hide her grin, while Danny on the other hand had erupted into a fit of laughter.

"What? He deserved it. He calls me names and spits on my crackers."

"Bailey, that's not a nice thing to do and you know better."

"Well neither is having to eat spitty crackers!"

By this point, Danny was on the floor crying. He couldn't contain himself, her witty comebacks were just too smart for a four year old to be conjuring.

"See? He thinks it's funny," she said pointing a finger at Danny who was now wiping the tears from his eyes, trying to compose himself.

"Way to go Messer, nice example you're setting for my kid here."

"Linds, I'm sorry but this is just too funny. At least she's standin' up for herself."

"Well I'd like her to learn how to do it in a less violent way." She tried arguing with him, but she was quickly short sided when Bailey cut in.

"Mom, don't be mad at Danny. He's on my side here." She went and stood in front of Danny, crossing her arms defensively in front of her.

"Ha, your own kid is siding against you Montana. What now?" he said resting both of his hands on Bailey's small shoulders.

She began to get a mischievous grin on her face. "Well, I still think that Bailey should be punished. It wasn't a very polite thing to do. And we all know what that means, don't we?"

He caught her look and gripped a little tighter onto Bailey as Lindsay edged toward them.

"You know who I'm going to leave the punishment up to Bay?"

The look on the little girl's face grew more scared by the second. "W-who?"

Lindsay gave her a couple more moments of torture before shouting, "The tickle monster!"

In seconds, they had her pinned, both Danny and Lindsay harmlessly tickling the little girl until they were all erupting in fits of laughter. At some point in the game, the target had been switched to Danny. Both girls began attacking, until Danny suddenly yelped out in pain, his back once again becoming inflamed.

"Mommy, we broke Danny!" Bailey was on the brink of tears as she jumped off of Danny's leg, hoping to prevent further injury.

"He's okay baby, Danny's just being a wuss," she laughed as he sat up slowly, pulling the little girl onto his lap.

"Are you really okay Danny?"

"Don't worry about me kiddo, I'm tough, see?" he said knocking his fist against his head.

"I think Danny's had a little too much fun for one day Bay. We'd better get going."

Both Bailey and Danny's faces dropped at this news, but Bailey's eyes suddenly perked up as she jumped out of Danny's lap and dashed over to the kitchen, yelling "Wait!" over her shoulder.

Danny and Lindsay stared at each other, exchanging confused glances as they waited for Bailey to return. As she did, they noticed a kid-proof disposable camera clutched in her hands.

"Danny, you _have _to take a picture with me for my book!" She had an eager look in her eyes as she sat down next to him.

"Well sure kiddo, I'd be glad to."

"Here mommy, will you take it?"

"Wait, I've got an idea," Danny interrupted, taking the camera himself. "Linds, you be in the picture too," he said beckoning her over.

"You sure? Do you want one of just the two of you?"

"How bout we do both?" he replied turning towards Bailey.

"Okay, I like that idea."

Danny handed Lindsay the camera, pulling Bailey into his lap, the both of them smiling sweetly as the photo was snapped. Lindsay went and sat down next to Danny, Bailey shifting so that she was now sitting on both of their laps. Danny took the camera, and with an outstretched arm, snapped another picture as Bailey yelled "Cheese!" They laughed as they gathered Bailey's things, and Danny walked them to the front door.

"If you want, I can get copies of those for you," Lindsay said, turning to face Danny.

"That would be great," he replied with a smile.

"It's the least I could do. You really helped me out today, and you became an injured acrobat in the process," she said with a laugh. "You sure you'll be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. And it was my pleasure. Anytime you need me, just say the word."

"Thanks Danny. I'd better get Bailey home. Have a good night."

"You too Linds. Drive safe."

"Bye Danny!" Bailey chimed in.

"See ya later kiddo." He chuckled as he stepped out to watch the down the hallway, staring until they were nothing more than two small dots in the distance, and then made his way to the couch, plopping down with a smile on his face.

-----------

When they arrived back at the Monroe apartment, both Bailey and Lindsay were exhausted. Bailey tossed her gym bag and tiny pink Converse into the hall closet and sat down in front of the television, turning on a random show and snuggling into Lindsay as she joined the little girl on the couch.

"So did you have a good time with Danny baby?"

"Yeah, I love hanging out with him. Can he pick me up every time you can't come?"

"We'll see."

The continued watching tv in silence for a while when Bailey began to speak again.

"Mommy, what's my last name?"

"Your last name is Monroe hun, just like it's always been. Why do you ask?"

"Cause Danny said it should be the same as my daddy's. I tried to tell him I didn't know my daddy but I don't think he heard me." At this, Lindsay let out a huge sigh of relief. "But Danny's nice. Maybe one day, he could be my daddy."

She let out another sigh, this time a hopeful one.

"Maybe one day baby, maybe one day."


	10. Chapter 10

**alright alright, enough waiting already.**

**honestly, was this exactly how i pictured it ? no. but hey, we all can't be perfect. it had to be done this way. it was the only way.**

**and youre all going to throw m&m's by the barrel at me, but like ive said before, DONT WORRY.**

**it's all okay in the end, i promise ! :)**

**just give it time to pan out.**

**now, sit back, relax, and try to enjoy the next chapter.**

**enjoy (:**

**--mtc.**

"Hey, could you possibly pick Bailey up again today?"

This was the ninth call he'd gotten within the past two weeks.

Not that he was at all complaining.

Spending time with Bailey was often the highlight of his week. After a long day of processing evidence in the lab, it was nice to come home to an apartment filled with her cheerful chatter and playfulness. She was exceptionally intelligent for a child of her age, and she quite often impressed him with her witty remarks and such. He often wondered why Mac hadn't yet hired her in the lab. She could probably do a much better job than the currently hired technicians in his eyes. But then again, that was the soft spot in him talking. He had grown quite attached to the little girl, and although he tried his hardest not to impose on her family life, he couldn't help it. He loved her as much as he loved her mother. Now that he was in this far, there was no way to break the spell.

And he wasn't upset by that thought whatsoever.

He would lay in bed at nights thinking of the three as a family, their own little unit living happy and carefree, without a worry in the world. His little fantasies, however, would always be interrupted with thoughts of Cameron. The pure sight of the man sent a bout of rage through his system, almost as if fire would flood from his mouth if he dare opened it to the man. Although he never actually witnessed anything between Cameron and Bailey since that night, he would often imagine what went on behind the scenes, when he was out of frame. Was she a different person when Danny wasn't around? Did she and her father have a deeper bond than the two of them had quickly formed?

What kind of question was that? Of course she was closer with her father. He shook his worries from his head, fearing he would fret over them for more time than it was worth.

Regardless, the thought struck a chord in him, made him want to cry a little, yell a little, run around and throw a tantrum like a three year old. But he knew he was bigger than that, and he had to accept the relationship he now had with Bailey and her mother for what it was. He had to appreciate the second chance he had been granted and live with it, for her knew that things could be much worse than this.

So for now, he was quite content with the nights he was privileged to spend with Bailey, much like this night.

He already had their entire night planned out: they would stop off for pizza at Ray's--Bailey's new favorite place, thanks to Danny--and then he would take her to the movies. All she had been talking about for the past weeks had been some kid flick that she was dying to see, and he figured that since it was Friday, she could have an extended bed time. Checking with Lindsay first of course, he decided that this surprise would be his best yet, and Lindsay had made it even better when she had agreed to meet them there after her shift. He was counting down the minutes until his shift would end.

Typical days where his babysitting services were needed, it was usually because both Lindsay and Cameron were working. Or so he assumed, anyway. They were after all partners, and he presumed that when one was needed, the other was as well. This was why he was needed in his eyes; both parents were unavailable and his assistance was necessary. Today, however, there was a flaw in his carefully calculated reasoning, and he simply wouldn't have it.

-----------

As the end of his shift began nearing, Danny was simply growing restless. Staring up at the clock every five seconds wasn't helping his lack of focus, not to mention the fact that he would forget what exactly he was looking for under his microscope and have to restart his analysis every time he looked down. After much contemplation, he decided to call it a day. Placing the evidence carefully back into its bag, he headed towards the locker room, passing the break room on the way. He peeked in, knowing that Lindsay was currently out on a case, but wishing with a small sliver of hope that she was running late and he would catch a tiny glimpse of her before he would see her again later that evening. What he saw instead made him fume.

Cameron Burke. Not out on the case with Lindsay at all, but instead joking with a few of the newer lab techs. The three men were seated around one of the tables, a deck of cards scattered about, and laughter being tossed around the group.

And Danny was the one going out to take care of his child?

Oh no.

This was not going to fly.

No question about it, he loved spending time with Bailey. But when her father was sitting here screwing around like a high school student while she was left unattended, Danny grew concerned.

Taking a quick detour, Danny rerouted into the break room, storming up to the table angrily before saying sharply, "Hey Cam, would you like to explain to me what you're doin'?"

"Umm what does it look like I'm doing Messer? Me and the guys are taking a quick break. Care to join us?"

"No, I would not 'care to join you'. What I would care to do is hear your explanation for why _I'm _going to pick up _your_ kid while you 'take a break'." By this point, he was completely red in the face, and close enough to Cameron that if he so much as breathed too loudly, Cameron would feel the repercussions.

"What are you_ talking _about Messer?"

That was it. If Danny hadn't already been thrown over the edge, this here had done it. Cameron wasn't going to hear the end of this one, and Danny would make sure Lindsay was made aware of their current situation.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me, right? You're so wrapped up with impressing your stupid friends that you won't even bother to check your calendar and find out what your own daughter has been up to? I've been taking care of her Burke. For the past two weeks, I pick her up, I feed her, I entertain her, and when Lindsay's too tired after work, I tuck her in at night, all while you're probably out at the bar throwin' back shots with Troy and Chris here," he said, shooting icy stares at Cameron as well as the lab techs on either side of him. "What a fucking responsible man you are Cameron. You know, you should be awarded parent of the year. Hell, I'd nominate you."

"Danny, what the hell are you talking about? Bailey's not--"

"Shut it man, just stop talking. I don't wanna hear it anymore. It's like you don't even know your own kid. Do you know what her favorite color is? How about her favorite comic book character, or what she hates to have for dinner? Huh? Do you even know who she is? But you know what, enough of this. I've got more important things to do right now, like picking up your daughter from her gymnastics class and takin' her out to dinner. Have a nice Friday you bastard."

He stormed out the door, clearly not noting the confused stares that were being passed around the circle of people in the break room. But he didn't care what they were thinking or what they were feeling. That was the last of his worries. The only thought going through his head was that his first priority now was to get to Bailey as fast as he could and treat her better than she was currently being treated by her father. It didn't just make him angry, it made him sick to see that Cameron had better things to do than spend time with his own child. He couldn't wrap his mind around any clear reason as to why someone would pass up an opportunity to spend time with the little girl. In his eyes, she was perfect in every way, an angel here on earth just like her mother. Why Cameron was being the arrogant prick that he was, was still an unsolved mystery in Danny's mind, but he tried to push his worries to the back of his mind as he pulled up to they gym. He was about ten minutes early, but he liked arriving before the class was over. It gave him a chance to see Bailey all riled up; it made him happy to see her having fun.

He entered the gym, trying to wipe the scowl of anger off his face, waving at the mothers he had come to know over the past couple of weeks picking Bailey up. He took his usual seat on the bench located nearest the center of the gym so he could see everything, picking up Bailey's pink gym bag as he passed it by and setting it down next to him. She saw him instantly, almost like she was being drawn to his presence, and flashed him a huge grin followed by a wave, resisting the temptation to run over and hug him. She knew she had to finish her class before she could attack Danny, Christie had made that clear on their second visit. So she was satisfied with the wave until class was over, and it already made Danny's day one hundred times better than it had been previously. As hard as he tried, he couldn't see any of her shady father in that beautiful little face of hers. She was all her mother, he knew that, and he wasn't about to complain. He sat and patiently waited for the class to be finished, chatting with the other parents as the clock ticked on.

It was nearing the end, and this particular day, he heard Christie say that they would be ending by swinging on the rings, something all of the children loved doing. One by one, with the help of the spotters, they were hoisted up, and they each did as they wished, some of the more daring kids attempting flips, others simply hanging for a few seconds and then jumping off, landing with a smile. His gaze never broke from Bailey's; they were communicating with their eyes, sharing a silent conversation. She stuck her tongue out at him and he made faces back, the both of them sharing a laugh as she neared the front of the line.

In the middle of this, he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket and didn't hesitate to answer when he read _Call from Lindsay_ on the screen, not once taking his eyes off of the little girl in front of him.

"Hey Linds, what's up?"

"Hey Danny, you guys leave yet?"

"No, she's almost done here though. Then we'll be off for our little fun filled evening," he said smiling.

"Sounds good," Lindsay replied, noting the not so subtle hint of joy in his words. She knew he had been looking forward to this all day, and she was as well. She would be spending time with her two favorite people, what more could she ask for?

"Well tell Bailey I love her and give her a kiss for me. I'll meet up with you guys at the movie."

"Sounds good Montana," he replied as he watched Bailey being hoisted up onto the rings. She was so tiny, it was a miracle she could hold herself up.

"I've gotta get back to this processing, it's been a bitch all day," Lindsay laughed.

But Danny didn't hear any of the words she had uttered. He was watching Bailey. He had known that she loved taking risks, and gymnastics was no exception. But this time was different, this time, there was a danger involved. As she began to swing herself, he realized what she was going to do.

It was like it was all happening in slow motion. He watched as she flung herself around the metal rings, trying to turn her body over like she had seen some of the more experienced students do. Her head was now facing the ground as she began to fall; she was clearly not going to be able to twist herself upright again. His phone clattered to the ground as rushed as fast as he could to try and catch her, the spotters obviously not noting what was going on.

"Bailey!" he yelled, stretching his arms out the their capacity, until they felt as though they would rip off, and at the last second flinging his body forward, diving at her small figure.

He wasn't quick enough.

Her head conked into the floor, hard.

He heard a crack, but didn't have the attention span to flinch, for he was already by her side, scooping her unconscious body up in his arms.

"No. No, no, no. No. Bailey, Bailey sweetie, can you hear me? Somebody call an ambulance!"

He was in full out panic mode. If he hadn't known that moving her could cause a more fatal injury, he would have picked her up and carried her to his car, driving her to the hospital herself.

In the mean time, Lindsay was still on the other line of the call, hearing everything happen as though she were there, worried sick out of her mind.

Had she, in fact, heard the words "ambulance" and "Bailey" used in the same sentence?

No. It couldn't be. There had to be some mistake.

Her baby girl was okay, she was always okay. Danny would take care of her. She was sure of it.

Danny, on the other hand, was completely oblivious to the surrounding factors. He was completely focused on Bailey. As he stared down at her pale face, she seemed almost like she was sleeping. Although this wasn't the case, he imagined that it was to keep himself from hyperventilating. He didn't notice as all of the panicked children were retained, as one of the mothers dialed 911 while Christie had retrieved Danny's phone and, through tears, explained to a distressed Lindsay what had happened. All of his concentration was fixed on Bailey. He stared at her angelic face, whispering over and over again, "It's gonna be alright sweetheart, everything's gonna be alright." He knew that half of the words said were simply being said to reassure himself, but truth be told, he was scared to death. He couldn't lose this little girl. But the more he held her lifeless body in his arms, the more that seemed to be a possibility seemed real to him.

The paramedics arrived within minutes, but he was hesitant to giver her up. He knew she needed help, but his "Monroe girl instincts" had suddenly kicked in and he had become very protective of his territory. No one could protect his girls better than he could, but this thought had failed him time and time again. As he fought back tears he began to think of himself as less of a protector and more of a failure. He had failed Lindsay, he had failed his family, and now he had failed Bailey.

His thoughts were shaken by the voices of the paramedics.

"Sir, we need to take her now."

"Just, just be careful with her, okay? She's little." His voice was incredibly small as he hesitantly allowed the paramedics to take the little girl's lifeless body and load her onto a backboard, padding her head and neck carefully and strapping her in.

"Don't worry sir, she's in good hands now."

No matter what they said, he wasn't taking their word for it. He followed them out the doors to the ambulance, never leaving the side of the stretcher, his eyes on Bailey the entire way. He held her tiny hand as the EMTs hooked her up to all sorts of machines that he was only vaguely familiar with. Sure he had seen people in the hospital before, but never in this situation. Words like "Cat Scan" and "MRI" sent his body shuddering. To say he was freaking out would be an understatement; he was completely fearful to say the least.

They arrived at the hospital, doctors of all sorts rushing to the aid of the little girl, vitals being thrown around, descriptions of the wound and procedures that would have to be carried out to further treat the child. It was making Danny's head spin. He had heard all these words before, being in a field that often required visiting a victim at the hospital, but now that he was close to said victim it hit him hard. She might need surgery. She might be in a coma for an extended period of time. It could be days before she regained consciousness. What the hell was going on?

Just a half hour ago she had been playing around the gym with her friends, so happy and carefree. Now, she was lying helplessly in a hospital bed being poked and prodded by strange doctors, some of which were asking Danny information about her that he didn't quite know the answers to.

What was her birthdate? Was she allergic to anything? Any previous surgeries?

How was he supposed to know any of this?

Lindsay was bounding down the hallway towards him before he could figure out the answer to his own question.

Tears streaming down her face, she hadn't even made it to him before she cried out panicked, "Where is my baby girl?!"

She ran towards him into the room, needing to see her baby girl. As she witnessed what exactly was going on, she stood there speechless at first. It was all too much for her. Her baby, her precious child, was lying there helpless, and there was nothing she could do about it. Just that morning she had kissed her goodbye as she skipped off into her preschool room, her pigtails bouncing high on her head as she joined her friends. And now, this. Lindsay collapsed on the floor, not knowing what else to do. After a couple seconds, the doctors started for her, planning to attempt a comforting speech.

But Danny beat them to it. He ran behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist as they sobbed together. He helped her gather the strength to pick herself up, and she reached her hand out to stroke the little girl's face as the doctors prepped her for tests.

"How could this happen to my little girl?" she whispered through ragged breaths.

The doctors just smiled sadly as they told Lindsay that they needed optimum working space, that she would need to back up so they could treat Bailey. She and Danny stood outside the room, both staring through the window as they stuck needles into the little girl, drew blood, and prepped her for her tests. Every time skin was broken on her little girl's body, it made Lindsay flinch back. How could this be happening?

A nurse eventually approached Lindsay and asked her to fill out paperwork regarding Bailey's health status and such. Full name: Bailey Louise Monroe; date of birth: February 11, 2006; mother's name: Lindsay Monroe; father's name:…

Coming to this blank, she angled the clipboard so Danny, who was currently looking over shoulder, was unable to read the rest of her information. She entered all of her insurance protocol and such, and they continued staring into the window until the doctors waved them in.

Without a moments hesitation, the two entered the room in a flash, wanting answers and wanting them now.

"What's wrong with my daughter?"

"Ms. Monroe, your daughter suffered a traumatic blow to her frontal lobe, causing hemorrhaging in her cranium. We are going to have to perform surgery to stop the bleeding and to drain the excessive amounts of blood that is building up between her frontal lobe and skull. Of course, we'll need your consent--"

"Of course, whatever you have to do." She was attempting to stay calm on the outside for the doctors, but she was dying on the inside. She was trying to keep her guard up for Danny and Bailey as well. She couldn't bare to have them see her like this; she needed to be strong for the three of them, and if that meant showing no emotion, then hell, she'd do whatever it took.

They got a few minutes alone with Bailey before would be taken back for her operation. The doctors assured the two that the surgery was performed almost routinely, and that they had nothing to worry about. But there was still that nagging in the back of both of their minds that something would go wrong.

As the doctors exited the room to give them their privacy, Danny began to follow, figuring he would give Lindsay alone time with her daughter before she was taken back. But as he turned to exit, she grasped onto his hand with a grip that told him he wasn't going anywhere. Their gazes locked and he stared into her frightened eyes, realizing that he couldn't leave her alone. She would certainly break down. She needed him, and he needed her. He wouldn't leave her. They stood there, whispering sweet things to little girl, Lindsay softly rubbing her hand up and down the little girls cheek while Danny rubbed his thumb across her tiny hand.

"She looks so precious," Lindsay whispered, not once removing her gaze from her daughter. All Danny could do in response was nod.

All too soon, a doctor was present in the room, letting them know that it was time. As the team of doctors and nurses wheeled her out, Lindsay bent down and placed a kiss on her forehead, whispering into her ear, "It's gonna be okay baby, I promise. I love you."

Danny followed suit, kissing her sweetly on the forehead and telling the sleeping child, "You'll be okay kiddo. You're tough."

She was taken away, Lindsay and Danny following until she was taken behind the double doors into the surgical wing. There was nothing more they could do now but wait.

They both sagged into the chairs in the waiting area, crumbing into each other and sobbing silently, their hands still clutched together. Neither one of them knew what to say, so instead they simply cried.

People from the lab stopped by to check up on them, offering them coffee and such, but they politely got rid of everyone who came through the hospital doors. They didn't need distractions, they needed Bailey healthy, and right now she was in that operating room fighting for her life.

As it got later into the night, they hadn't moved from the position they had started in. They had sat down on a bench without a bar to separate the seats, Lindsay almost in Danny's lap, their hands clutched together with Lindsay's head on Danny's shoulder. He was stroking her hand with his thumb, gently, hoping it would soothe her at least a little, but knowing that ultimately, the only thing that would soothe her would be new of Bailey's surgery being a success and being over with. They sat there in silence for quite some time when another visitor arrived.

Cameron.

Danny couldn't hold himself back. He had to call him out on this one, he couldn't restrain himself. He approached the man with all of the rage in his body.

"You finally fucking showed up, huh?!"

"Danny, I came as soon as I heard--"

"Don't give me that shit! Your daughter, that beautiful girl in there, is fighting for her life, and you have the goddamn nerve to NOT show up to the hospital?! I ought to put you in one of those beds next to her!"

"Danny!" Lindsay was now standing behind him, her hand grabbing onto his forearm, pulling him back.

"Messer, I've tried to explain this to you time and time again. I love Bailey like she was my own but--"

"Cam, please, I've got this." This was not the way Lindsay had imagined this happening, but it needed to be done. She had to tell him the truth, once and for all.

"Danny, can we talk alone please?" she said, her voice barely audible.

"Sure Linds," was all he could utter.

The walked down the halls, hands still tightly entwined, until they reached a dark, empty corridor. They found an abandoned bed in the corner and took a seat, now facing each other.

"Danny, about Cameron--"

"Linds, if this is about this bastard, I should have just killed him right then and there--"

"Danny. Please. You're not listening. Just let me finish."

"Okay." He was somewhat shocked by her assertiveness, but by the look in her eyes he could tell she needed to say something.

Where did she begin? She couldn't just come right out and say it. She had to backtrack. It was the only way.

"Do you remember the night you came back to my apartment for the first time?" She waited for his nod of approval and continued on. "You saw Cameron and Bailey sitting at the table, having a fun night like a typical family. And then I told you that Cameron was a better man than you'll ever be." Rehearing these words pained him; he knew she didn't mean them but they were still like a dagger to his chest. "You assumed I was seeing Cameron and that he was Bailey's father, didn't you?"

This sentence had his mind wandering all over the place. What did she mean assumed? Just seeing Cameron, nothing else? Was this man not the child's father? So many questions, and she wasn't answering them quick enough.

"Lindsay, what are you getting at here?"

"Danny, four years ago, the night before you left, something happened…" She trailed off as she remembered back to that night, as he did as well.

"Lindsay, Lindsay look at me," he said softly, placing his finger under her chin to gently lift her gaze towards his own. "Just say it. It's obviously eating at you, just tell me what you need to tell me. It's okay."

With an apologetic look on her face, like a dog that had just been chastised for tearing up its owners' shoes, she made eye contact with him once again. He knew exactly what she was going to say before she had even uttered the words.

"Danny, Bailey's not Cameron's daughter. She's…she's yours."

His mouth dropped through floor as the tears began uncontrollably flooding from his eyes.

He had a daughter.

He had a daughter that he hadn't known for the past four years of her life.

And now, she was lying helplessly on an operating table, fighting for her life.

And he couldn't do anything about it.

He collapsed into the wall behind him, letting the tears fall out as Lindsay's small figure collapsed into his chest. He instinctively pulled her closer, and the two sat there in silence as the time passed on. They knew something would have to be said about the confession eventually, but for now, neither knew what to say.

They sat there in the protection of each other's embrace, wishing all of their worries would just go away.

**ps:: a HUGE shoutout to all my regular reviewers. you guys totally make my day :)**

**iamjude (you rock chica !), laurzz, pretty7, afrozenheart12, Petite Poppy, royan1985, jmc715, Kellyclarksonfan4life, Grace5, cyn23**

**i love you all ! (:**


	11. Chapter 11

**allllllllright, now that we've all seen how retarded i am when it comes to computers... :D**

**sorry about that !**

**i suck at proofreading, once i have something written i have to post it, i cant read it again until a couple days later so i didnt even think to reread before i posted.**

**thanks to the ones who caught it !**

**anyway, heres the next chapter.**

**if it starts not making sense at all, just lemme know again, i'll fix it, promise ! :)**

**ps--jordinajamaica:: sorry babe ! i was tryin to rush through and do that last minute, i must have missed you ! thanks for the support ! :)**

**enjoy (:**

**--mtc.**

He was still in partial shock.

He had been sitting motionlessly for what had seemed like forever, but in reality had only been mere minutes. Nonetheless, he remained speechless. What exactly was he supposed to say?

He had a daughter.

A living, breathing daughter.

And she had kept that from him for all those years.

He wanted to be angry, he wanted to be furious with her, to explode at her for keeping this a secret for so long. He wanted to call her a liar, a hypocrite, a fraud. But he couldn't. He knew that deep in his heart, he couldn't. There was absolutely no way he could bring himself to be so cruel to her. He loved her too much, and he knew that all of the hatred towards her that he thought was building up inside him was just his mixed emotions speaking. None of it was true, he had to realize that before he said or did anything stupid. But what was he supposed to say in the mean time?

As he glanced over at her, he realized that she was staring at him sadly, tears slowly rolling down her cheek. As much as he wanted to wipe them away, he was still too shaken to do much of anything.

"Danny, please say something. Just say anything, let me know that you're okay."

He wanted to open his mouth and give her what she wanted, his reaction to all of this. But truth be told, he honestly didn't know what to say. Catching a lucky break, they both heard footsteps heading their way, and before he could say anything, the doctor was making his way down the hallway towards them.

"Ms. Monroe, your daughter is out of surgery. It was a complete success, however, she will still be in a coma for the duration, or until her body feels it has healed itself. It may be an hour, it may be a few days. All we can do now is wait."

The two were running down the hallway as soon as the words "your daughter is out of surgery" had passed his lips.

---------

Walking into the recovery room, hands still clutched together, they didn't know how to react, but seeing that helpless little girl all bandaged up almost broke them both completely. She looked so frail, her little head covered in white cloth, wires protruding from her arms, a tube inserted in her little nose so she could breathe. How could this have happened?

In all the years since Bailey had been born, Lindsay never thought she would have to see her daughter like this. Not in a million years would she have ever expected such a tragedy to happen to her little girl. It made her think she was a failure as a mother; she hadn't been able to protect her own child, how was she going to be expected to take care of her for the rest of her life?

Danny's arms encircling her waist reassured her that everything would be okay; he could sense her fears radiating off of her worn out body and held her tighter as he stared at the little girl laying in the giant hospital bed.

_His _little girl.

His mouth agape, he slowly released Lindsay from his arms and made his way over to her bedside ever so quietly, fearing that he would startle her even though he knew it would be some time before she would wake.

He knelt down beside the bed and gently ran his fingers up and down her cheek, heat radiating from her face at every move he made. He took in her every detail, completely in awe of every little thing about her. The way her nose seemed to be scrunched up ever so slightly, the small curve in her lips that made it seem as though she were smiling, the way her dirty blonde hair swept over her face. He couldn't seem to get over the fact that this little girl he was staring at, this tiny being, was his daughter. She was his and Lindsay's own creation.

And she was perfectly flawless in every way.

He softly brushed the few strands of her hair that were protruding from her bandages away from her face. She felt so small in his hands, like she could break at the slightest touch; he was afraid that touching her too much would break her in two. As he continued to stare in amazement at his daughter, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He didn't have to look back, he knew it was Lindsay. Her touch was forever engraved into his body's sense of living. Without breaking his gaze from the peaceful child sleeping in the bed, he reached his hand up and grabbed onto Lindsay's shaking hand, trying to steady it, but realizing that he was just as jittery.

Silently, Lindsay knelt down beside him, their shoulders touching, reaching her other hand up to hold the little girl's.

"She's perfect," he barely whispered, only audible to Lindsay who had been waiting for him to speak since they had been secluded in the dark hallway. All she could do in response was nod.

They stayed this way for awhile, neither one of them wanting to break the moment of peace they now had. He watched the slight rise and fall of Bailey's little chest, making sure she was breathing every second. He didn't know what he would do if he lost her forever; he had only known her for about a month now, she couldn't slip away from him now.

The doctor eventually came back into the room, breaking up their family time. He said something about too much blood, blah blah blah, she would be okay, blah blah blah, but all Danny and Lindsay were focused on was the tiny child laying in the bed. They tried to be interested in what the doctor was saying, but truthfully, they didn't care about all of the medical jargon. They just wanted to be alone again, just the three of them to be together like it should be.

Or, how they _wanted_ it to be.

It was still eating away at Lindsay. What was going on in Danny's mind? Sure he was still standing next to her, holding her hand, reassuring her just by being there. But was he only doing this out of kindness? Would he change and seek revenge once all of this had blown over? Much like Bailey awakening, all she could do was wait. If she rushed this, she feared he would explode from the pressure and ruin any chance of anything they were building forever.

Hands still intertwined, they listened halfheartedly while the doctor told them that Bailey was going to be taken for post-op testing, they should go to the family wing and rest for a little while.

They just smiled, wanting to laugh inside at the doctor's joke. They couldn't rest. Their daughter had just had major surgery, resting was the last thing on their minds. Nonetheless, they made their way down to the cafeteria to get coffee while they waited. They sat in silence for awhile, avoiding each other's gazes, Danny swirling a swizzle stick in his coffee and intently watching the swirling patterns it made in the liquid. He knew she was waiting for him to say something, but he still didn't know what to say to her.

He was beyond happy that Bailey was his. If they weren't currently in a hospital, he would have shouted it from the rooftops. But the fact that she only told him because he was chewing out the man he thought was her father was really starting to get to him. Had that been the only reason she had told him? Or was she planning to tell him all along? These were the questions that haunted him, but the only way he was going to get an answer to them was to talk to her. This, he was not so sure he was ready for.

But he couldn't just abandon her. She needed him and he needed her. If he left, he wouldn't only be killing her inside, he would be lost as well.

He needed to take a walk, to clear his thoughts, but he just couldn't leave her like this. And having her there with him would only cloud his views even more. Maybe he should just come out and say whatever was on his mind. No, that wasn't a good idea, he would just dig himself into a deeper hole. But he couldn't just keep everything bottled up inside. That would only eat away at him until he exploded at her, which he didn't want to do at all.

"Danny…do you…do you hate me?" He could barely make out her voice; it was barely above a whisper, and she spoke so sadly, he almost couldn't respond.

"Lindsay, how could I hate you?"

She stared down at her feet, shuffling them on the floor underneath the table. "Montana, look a' me." He took his hand and gently raised her chin so she was sadly staring into his eyes. The sight alone almost made his own tears begin to fall. "Lindsay, I would have to be a complete idiot to hate you. You and that little girl mean everything to me. There's no way in hell I could ever hate you. Why would you think that?"

She opened her mouth, hesitated, and then began to slowly speak again. "I didn't tell you that you had a daughter. I let you think she was Cameron's and then…and then this all happened and--"

She began to grow more hysterical by the second, and as he saw this happening, he got up from his place across from her at the table and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"Shh, shh, stop your cryin'. It's gonna be okay Lindsay, I promise you. Why don't we take a walk?" He wiped the tears from her eyes as she nodded, and he helped her up from the table. He held her hand every so gently, rubbing his thumb up and down the back of it, and led her away from the cafeteria, making their way down the hall.

It was a while before they picked up their conversation again, neither one knowing how to start off. Eventually, Lindsay began again, trying to mask the sadness in her voice.

"She's got your eyes you know." She sadly smiled up at him, him returning the gesture as he squeezed her hand gently.

"Well she's got your smarts. Everything that kid says reminds me o' you. Except for that crack about the Mach 5. What have you been teachin' her for the past four years?"

They shared a nervous laugh, both hoping to break up the tension.

"Did you really think I could ever hate you Montana?"

"Well, I kept her from you. I should have contacted you somehow, but I thought if I did, I'd be ruining your life, your bachelorhood. I didn't want to spring a kid on you out of nowhere."

At this, he had to frown. "It wouldn't have be springing a kid on me. She's ours, Linds. We made her. That beautiful little girl was made out of our love, how could you think that telling me about her would ruin my life?"

"I don't know, you just didn't seem like the type that would ever want to settle down," she replied shrugging.

"Maybe not at the time, no. But you I know how much I love you, I wouldn't have just abandoned you like that. If there was anyone I would ever settle down with, you know it'd be you. You're the only one I've ever wanted to be with, Lindsay."

They had stopped down a long, unoccupied hallway, now facing each other. He had his hands resting on her forearms, she as well, both gazing dreamy-eyed at each other. He longed to kiss her, but knew this wasn't the time or place. Instead, he moved his arms, pulling her into a passionate hug instead, resting his head on top of hers. She pulled herself closer into his embrace, never wanting him to let go. She silently cried into his shoulder, leaving tear stains in the cotton of his shirt, but he didn't care so long as she was safe in his arms again.

They reluctantly let go of the comfort of each other's arms when the doctor once again found them, baring test results.

"Your daughter passed with flying colors. She should be awake soon, but we're going to have to take things slowly for the first couple of days. She won't be able to return home right away, but our hope is to get her out as soon as possible."

They both nodded, smiles on their faces, hugging once again at the news of Bailey's health status.

"For now, we'll have to ask you to reside in the family suites. Visiting hours are over, but since your daughter will be staying her for a while, you're welcome to the beds and facilities we have there."

They simply nodded and proceeded towards the suites, which turned out to be much like any other hospital room: extra beds, a few televisions and chairs and such. They found a couch, neither of them wanting to sleep, but both completely exhausted. As they sat on the couch, Lindsay cuddling up to Danny under the blanket, he turned to her and reluctantly began to speak again.

"Lindsay…what are we gonna tell Bailey?"

She hadn't even thought about this. What were they going to tell their little girl? They couldn't just spring this information on her all at once, could they?

"It's okay, I mean we don't have to tell her if you don't want to," he said sadly after she hadn't responded for quite some time.

"No, no I want her to know. I want her to know who her daddy is, and I wouldn't do that to you Danny. I wouldn't deprive you of being a father to our baby girl. I'm just not sure how we should approach this. We'll just have to see how it goes. Take things slow, let her adjust."

"I'd like that. Lindsay, you really don't understand how much I love that little girl. It just kills me that you hadn't told me sooner."

"Are you still mad?" she replied reluctantly.

"I'm not, I'm not mad. I'm just…I'm frustrated, that's all."

"Danny, I'm sorry, I really didn't mean for it to happen this way. I wanted to tell you so many times, but--"

"Hey hey hey. How many times I gotta tell ya, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for. I'm the one who screwed up, remember? Everything will be alright, I promise you. This is the best thing that could've happened to me."

"Really?"

"Are you kidding me? I love that little girl with all my heart, the fact that she's mine just made my life a thousand times better. You gave me this gift Montana. If you're apologizing for that, you've got it all wrong."

"I love her too. And it wasn't just me that created her, you know. You gave her to me too. I've never thanked you for that."

"Well, you kinda couldn't," he replied with a laugh, squeezing her tighter against his frame.

"Thank you Danny, for giving me the greatest gift I could ever ask for."

He kissed her forehead gently, and in doing so, brought her face centimeters away from his. They were facing each other again, and he didn't know what to do. Her hands suddenly on either side of his face gave him the answer. She was pulling him down closer, their lips now millimeters apart. They were so close to making contact, and right as they were about to taste each other for the first time in what had seemed like forever, a doctor had come sprinting into the room interrupting them.

"Ms. Monroe, your daughter is waking up."

That was undoubtedly the fastest either of them had ever ran in their lives.


	12. Chapter 12

**hey all :)**

**again, thanks for all the reviews, i love you all to death !**

**i'm gonna try to get the next chapter out in a couple of days, or at least by saturday because come sunday, im gone for a week and i cant just leave you all hanging !**

**plus, i have some pretty...creative...ideas for our new daddy ;)**

**well, heres the next chapter.**

**enjoy (:**

**--mtc.**

Chapter 12

Their hearts were racing faster with each pulsing step they made toward Bailey's room. They didn't mind the numerous members of the hospital staff that told them to stop running, or the doctors trying to follow them and tell them more about Bailey's state of being. Their only concern was to get to their little girl as fast as they could. The trek seemed longer, the hallway stretching farther than it had earlier in the day. Nonetheless, they didn't slow their pace, they kept on running, taking turns dragging each other by the hand down the long and winding corridors of the hospital.

Finally reaching room 116, they had been flying so quickly down the hallway that they almost flew right past it, Danny catching the doorframe as he realized where they were, jerking Lindsay backwards. They both stood in the doorway for a second, breathless, trying to get a hold on what exactly they were staring at. There was a doctor kneeling next to their little girl's bed, softly whispering her name as they saw her eyes flutter ever so slightly. With tears brimming and hands clutched together, they pushed their way past the doctor and took his place next to their baby.

As Lindsay took hold of Bailey's hand, Danny could only stare in awe at the precious face of his baby girl.

She was his child, his little girl, his own creation.

Realizing this took the breath from his lungs for a few moments as the fluttering in her eyes became more rapid. His tearing up only grew more intense as she began to speak.

"Mommy?" she uttered every so quietly, her voice raspy.

"I'm right here baby, I'm right here. Mommy's here, you're okay baby," Lindsay responded, tears in her eyes as her smile grew wider with each word.

Bailey's eyes slowly began to crack open, closing again at first due to the brightness of the lights, but finally becoming used to her surroundings. Her wide blue eyes stared up into her mother's face, then shifted over to Danny's, and then around the room, trying to gather in where exactly she was.

"Where am I?" she questioned, still groggy but nonetheless persistent in her words.

"You're in the hospital baby," Lindsay replied hesitantly, not wanting to scare her child back into a coma.

"Why?" Lucky for all, she was much too drugged up still to understand what was going on to the full extent, so she barely flinched at her mother's response.

With tears rolling down her cheek, both out of joy and pain, Lindsay tried to explain the situation to her daughter. "You, you had an accident sweetie. But everything's okay now, the doctors fixed you and you're okay, you're okay." She was smiling with every word, and Bailey was growing more confused by the second.

"Why are you crying mommy?"

"I'm just happy baby, I'm happy that you're okay. We were so afraid that you weren't going to be alright, but you're such a strong girl, and we're all just happy that you're alright."

"Okay," she replied sleepily. "Hi Danny," she said, realizing that she hadn't yet acknowledged him yet.

At first, he couldn't seem find any words to muster. His daughter was speaking to him. His little girl, his own baby was talking to him. Sure, this had happened many times before, but now she was his own. It was such an incredible feeling to him, he just stared at her dumbfounded. "Hey kiddo," he finally said through tears, stroking her cheek lightly. "How ya holdin' up?"

"I'm okay I guess, my head hurts though. Why does my head hurt?"

"Well, you took a pretty nasty fall there Bay. Do you remember any of it?

She scrunched up her face as she tried to remember the details of her accident.

"I remember going to gymnastics. And I remember you were coming to pick me up. But I don't remember anything else." She sounded disappointed in her failed attempts to recollect what had happened.

"Well sweetie, you fell and hit your head. Danny called the ambulance and brought you to the hospital. The doctors took over from there and they fixed you up."

"It's all fuzzy though. I wanna remember," the frustrated child replied.

"It's alright, not being able to remember certain things is normal." The doctor had stepped out of the shadows to try and clear up the air for the little girl. "Hi Bailey, I'm Doctor Markko, how are you feeling?"

"Tired. And my head hurts."

"Like I said, that's all normal. You're going to be sore for a while, but it will all go away with time. In a little while, a nurse will be in to take you down for some tests. Is that okay?"

"Tests? Like math? Because if it's math, I don't wanna go."

Laughs were heard equally from both Danny and Lindsay, as well as the doctor. "No kiddo, I promise there will be no math. We just have to make sure everything's okay up there," the doctor said pointing to his own head. "We'll take some pictures and test some of your reflexes, things like that, and then you can come right back here."

"Alright, I guess I'll go," she shrugged halfheartedly. "Can my mommy and Danny go with me?"

"I'm sorry sweetie, they're going to have to wait out here. But they'll be right here waiting when you get back."

"But I don't wanna be alone." She was beginning to cry; she couldn't bear the thought of being alone in the hospital, without Lindsay and Danny by her side. They made her feel protected, she needed them to be there with her. She reached her arms up, one towards Lindsay, the other towards Danny.

"It'll be alright baby girl, we'll be here when you get back, I promise," Lindsay said trying to comfort the girl, extending her arms to take hold of Bailey's own outstretched hand.

"Promise?" she sniffled, staring up at the faces that surrounded her.

"I promise," Lindsay responded squeezing her tiny hand in reassurance.

"You too, Danny?"

"Of course kiddo, there's no place else I'd rather be," he responded, still partially in shock that he was actually having a conversation with his own daughter.

She could only return a half smile at them, fatigue had begun to set in again.

Eventually, a nurse entered the room, switched all of Bailey's IV's into portable machines and prepared to take her for her tests.

"Don't forget, you promised you'd be here when I got back," she said looking up at Danny and Lindsay. They both chuckled in response.

"Don't worry Bay, we're not going anywhere," Danny responded, bending down so that he was now eye level with her. As he was about to stand up, she pulled him back down to her level, wrapping her tiny arms around his muscular frame. That gesture in itself had made his day. He closed his arms tightly around her little shoulders in reassurance.

"What was 'at for?" he asked as she pulled away.

She shrugged. "Because you're my hero. You saved me from being hurt. Thanks Danny."

He was once again finding himself at a loss for words, growing more choked up by the second. "No problem kiddo. I'd do anything to keep you and your mommy safe."

She smiled up at him in response as the nurse wheeled her out into the hallway.

"Don't worry, she'll be back in about an hour. We'll take good care of her."

As they watched the bed disappear down the hallway, Lindsay snaked her arms around Danny's waist comfortingly, resting her head on his arm.

"You've got her wrapped around your finger, cowboy ," she whispered.

All he could do in response was smile as he watched the big bed turn into a tiny dot at the end of the long hallway.

-----------

While Bailey was having her tests run, Danny and Lindsay decided to try and catch up on their sleep. It was after all 3:45 in the morning, and they hadn't slept at all since the previous day. They made their way back to the family wing, taking their previous place on the couch in the corner, Lindsay curled up against Danny's frame with a blanket draped over her, Danny's arms wrapped around her shoulders protectively. They laid there peacefully, Lindsay sleeping while Danny watched her. As much as he wanted to close his eyes and dream, he was afraid that when he woke up this would all be gone.

So he compromised his sleep and watched his Lindsay dream. This, he thought, was much better than sleeping. He tenderly ran his arm up and down her own soothingly. As he watched her, he drank in all of her features, noticing every one of them that reminded him of Bailey, of his little girl. She was her mother's daughter; she was so much like Lindsay, it almost scared him. As he continued to watch her sleep, her words startled him.

"Go to sleep, cowboy. You're drained out, you need sleep."

He laughed softly, replying, "I don't need sleep, I'm the invincible Danno, remember?"

Her eyes cracked open as she smiled up at his face that was painted with exhaustion. He was clearly sleep deprived. "Danny, we're not going anywhere, I promise." It was as if she could read his mind.

"I know Linds, I just don't want this to end."

"It won't. This is just the beginning." She gazed up at him sleepily and, as he returned her smile, she snuggled into the comfort of his chest, his arms returning to their previous place, wrapped protectively around her. As she returned to her slumbering state, he placed a soft kiss to her forehead and tried to get some sleep himself before Bailey's test results arrived.

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"Bailey, you passed all your tests with flying colors. Everything seems to be working great. Of course, we'll still need to keep you for a few days to keep an eye on you, but you should be able to return home very soon."

It was like a choir of angels had dropped out of the skies.

They were in the clear.

"Cool. I'm ready to get out of here," she said with a smile.

"I'm sure you are," the doctor replied with a laugh. "But you'll need to take it easy for awhile. Certainly no more gymnastics for the time being."

"Aww, why not?" Bailey complained, growing upset as she folded her tiny arms across her chest in protest. "I'll be more careful next time, I promise."

"I'm sure you will Bailey, but your head is still trying to heal itself, it's best if we give it a chance to get better before you go diving off cliffs."

"I don't wanna do that, I just wanna do cartwheels with my friends."

"Don't worry kiddo, you'll be back out there in no time," Danny reassured her.

"I wish I was like Flash," she huffed. "_He_ wouldn't be sitting in a hospital bed. He'd be right back out there fighting bad guys."

"But you don't fight bad guys Bay," Lindsay laughed.

"Mom, you know what I mean," she shot back.

"You should probably get some sleep. You've had a pretty long day, you need your rest," the doctor cut in.

"But I'm not even tired," she tried to argue despite her yawning.

"Bay, you heard what the doctor said, you need your sleep," Lindsay said comfortingly.

"And if you're not rested up, how are me and you gonna finish readin' all those Flash comics?" Danny interjected, evoking a smile from the little girl that seemed to brighten up the room.

"Really? You're gonna read them all with me?"

"Why not? I don't want you to be bored while you're cooped up in this crummy place."

"Alright!" she exclaimed, pumping her fists into the air.

"But if you want morning to come faster, you've gotta go to sleep now"

"I guess so." She tucked her arms under the sheets and closed her eyes. After a minute or two, she popped on of them opening, and seeing that Danny and Lindsay were still in the room, "Okay, you heard the man, if I don't go to sleep, morning will never come!"

They shared a laugh as they walked closer to the bed, Lindsay bending down and placing a kiss on her daughter's cheek, Danny standing behind her.

"Goodnight sweetie, I love you."

"Love you too mommy. And I love you too Danny." What seemed like a harmless gesture to the little girl made Danny tear up both inside and out. Lindsay took his hand and almost had to drag him out of the room as the doctor beckoned them out.

She grinned up at the silly expression he had plastered about his face as they walked back into the family wing, this time choosing to sleep on beds, much more comfortable than the couch they had previously been napping on.

Without exchanging words, they spoke with their eyes, deciding that as much as they needed the comfort of each other, it was better to stay in separate beds for the time being.

Although they both realized and understood the purpose for the separate beds, they pulled the beds against each other like two teenagers at a sleepover, staring into each other's eyes as they drifted slowly off to sleep, neither wanting to be the first on to close their eyes.

As it grew earlier into the morning, Danny still hadn't fallen asleep. He lay there watching Lindsay, knowing he should be doing the same but not having the patience to do absolutely nothing for eight hours. He slowly reached his hand out and began stroking her arm gently, soothingly. She opened her eyes, having not been fully asleep yet, and laughed quietly as he smiled back at her.

"Danny, if you don't go to sleep now, morning will never come," she repeated the words he had said to their daughter just hours previous.

"Funny Montana, very funny."

She gave him a look that he took as "get your ass to bed, Messer," and chuckled softly as he smiled warmly at her, closing his eyes because he knew she was right. He would need his sleep; Bailey would need them both rested and alert come morning, and Danny refused to miss another second of his daughter's life.


	13. Chapter 13

well, here's the next chapter AS PROMISED before i leave for vacation.

its not a cliffie, i promise, i couldnt leave you all hanging for a week !

but i think you'll be satisfied with what i leave you with :) hopefully anyway haha.

but i promise, like last time, i'll be writing whenever i can so i can get you the next chapter as soon as i get home.

for now,

enjoy (:

--mtc.

**Chapter 13**

When Lindsay awoke, she stirred for a couple of seconds before realizing where she was. Dozens of beds, cots, cribs and couches surrounded her, random people she didn't know inhabiting them, some sleeping, some just waking up, others getting ready to leave. She was in the hospital. Just one night ago, Bailey had had her accident, been operated on, and come out of her temporary coma. It seemed like that night had dragged on forever even though it was only actually a couple of hours. She couldn't grasp the fact that only a few hours ago, they thought their daughter wasn't going to make it. And then it hit her.

Their daughter.

She had told Danny.

And he hadn't acted half as angry as she had expected him to. He had actually been quite calm, a little surprised at first, but in the end, he was just ecstatic to know that the slumbering little girl was his own. She smiled at the thought, and as her eyes grew more accustomed to the light around her, she blinked a couple times before looking to her side, seeing a very tired but nonetheless enthusiastic Danny smiling down at her.

"Good morning sleepy head. Have a nice nap?" he whispered, not wanting to disturb the other guests in their little room.

"Good morning yourself," she replied, returning his smile. "It's the best I'll ever sleep on a hospital bed I guess. How about you? You look like you could go back to sleep for at least another decade," she asked as he wiped the slumber from his eyes.

"No, no, I'm good, this bed is just utterly uncomfortable," he said with a laugh. "Wanna go get some breakfast before we check on Bay? Doc says she won't be up for a little while."

It warmed her heart to hear that he was already so anxious to check up on their little girl that now, at 7:15 in the morning, he was already pestering the doctors for information. Pushing herself up out of the rickety bed, she nodded and they made their way to the cafeteria, Lindsay grabbing Danny's hand as they exited the room. He himself was hesitant to initiate the gesture, thinking she would shy away, but when she had grabbed his hand first, it told him how she truly felt: happy that they were there together, both wanting their daughter to recover.

They mechanically ate the bland tasting hospital food, neither one of them really noticing the stale taste of the undercooked toast or the boxed cereal that had probably been sitting out for a good week. They just wanted to get to Bailey, but they both knew that no matter how hard they tried, they could not will the clock to change times. After finishing their breakfast, they returned to the family center, showered, and returned to the couch they had previously resided on the night before, watching the news to pass the time.

After what seemed like hours, they were finally able to see Bailey, the pair speed walking hand in hand to their baby's room. When they arrived, she was still asleep, but it didn't take long for her to wake up.

"Morning sweetie. Did you sleep well?" Lindsay asked as her little girl rubbed her eyes.

"I guess. I hate this bed, the blanket's not as nice as the one on my bed. Hi Danny!" When she realized that Danny was still there, a huge smile spread wide on her tiny face.

"Hey kiddo, how're ya feelin?" He returned her smile, still completely in awe of the fact that this little human being in front of him was his little girl.

"Okay I guess. My head feels funny, like it fell asleep or something. And this bandaid is bugging me. If I were the Flash, I bet I wouldn't have to wear this stupid thing."

They both laughed at their daughter's persistence in wanting to be tough.

"Don't worry Bay, you'll get out of here in no time. The doctors just want to make sure your head is okay," Lindsay told the anxious child, wanting to give her at least some sort of hope.

"But I'm fine, see?" she replied, flexing her nonexistent biceps as she made a grunting face at her parents.

They two adults erupted in laugher as the doctor entered the room, clipboard in hand ready to begin Bailey's morning round of examinations and treatments.

"I see someone's feeling a little better."

"I am, can I leave now?" Bailey asked eagerly.

"Not quite kiddo. We still want to keep you here at least another night for observation, but don't worry, you'll be out of here in no time."

"Can no time be now? I wanna go home," she replied with a pout. These bland, white walls were no place for a four year old to be surrounded by.

"I'm sorry kiddo, we'll try and get you out as soon as possible, but we just want to make sure your head is okay up there."

"But it is, I promise," she said rubbing the bandage a little too harshly, evoking a whispering "OW!" from her tiny lungs. "See? That didn't even hurt hardly."

"I'm sure it didn't," the doctor replied, laughing at her persistence, "but we're still going to need to run some tests."

"No math, right?" she asked eagerly.

"Right, no math."

"Are we gonna go back in the tunnel thing? Cause that was kinda cool."

"Yes, you'll need another CAT Scan and MRI, and possibly another X-ray. We will begin those as soon as possible, but for now, you can relax. A nurse will be in soon to bring you breakfast, your testing is scheduled to start at 9:30. The tv remote is on the side of the bed if you want," he replied, hoping the shot about the television would take her mind off of the fact that she was still cooped up in this place.

Without hesitation, Bailey frantically searched for the remote, turning the channel to Saturday morning cartoons as the doctor exited with a "I'll see you later" .

As soon as Danny realized what cartoon was rolling across the screen in front of them, he stood up in protest.

"Speed Racer? Really? Are you sure there's nothing a little more…well, a better show on than this piece of garbage?"

Almost telekinetically, both mother and daughter turned their heads towards him, mouths dropping at the same time.

"Danny!" they both exclaimed in sync with one another.

"What?" He was shocked by their response, almost beginning to shy away from them as their gazes seemed to back him into a corner.

"Speed Racer is a billion times cooler than Batman will ever be, just face it," Bailey told him matter of factly.

"Yeah Messer, maybe you should listen to the kid, learn a thing or two," Lindsay said, trying to poke fun at the man that was currently taken aback by the comments he was receiving.

"Fine, fine. I guess I'll just leave then," he replied, pretending to leave the room, back turned to Bailey as a devious smile crept onto his face.

"NO! Danny I was kidding, don't leave!" she waved her arms up in protest, trying to flag him down as he paused in the doorframe.

"Well _obviously _you'd rather watch crap-television than hang out with me, so--"

"No Danny, I wanna hang out with you! Please don't go!"

He smiled a little bigger as he took another step out the door.

"Danny!" Bailey whined as tears began to brim on her little eyes.

"Danny," Lindsay whispered over her shoulder, trying not to laugh.

"I'm just kidding kiddo, of course I'll stay. But I actually have to run an errand, is it okay if I leave for a little while? I promise I'll be back."

"Pinky swear?" the little girl said, holding her tiny finger out in his direction.

He laughed as he took three giant strides across the room, linking their fingers together. "Pinky swear. I wouldn't leave you and your mommy all alone in this scary place, would I?"

She smiled up at him, responding, "Just don't forget to come back."

"Now how would I forget to do that?" he asked her, smiling as he gave her a hug and walked towards Lindsay.

"I'll be back, don't worry. I'm not gonna leave you, promise," he whispered into her ear as he linked her pinky with his own.

"Secrets secrets are no fun unless you share with everyone, especially Bailey!" the little girl half yelled at the two adults secretly conversing behind her back.

They chuckled as they turned to face her.

"Don't worry kiddo, you'll find out soon enough," Danny laughed as he made his way back towards the door. "I'll see you in a little while."

As soon as he was gone, her eyes made a beeline for her mother.

"Alright mommy, spill. What's the secret?"

Lindsay laughed. "I don't know baby girl, he didn't tell me either."

"You know, I _am _four years old now. I deserved to know things like this."She tried to hid another laugh as she climbed onto the bed, cuddling with her daughter as the watched the show playing on the television screen in hanging from the ceiling.

"I don't know what he's up to baby girl. You never really know with Danny. We'll find out soon enough," she told her daughter as her thoughts raced to what exactly he could possibly be getting himself into.

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After about an hour, when Danny still hadn't returned, the rest of the CSI team had made their way to Bailey's room to visit. Mac, Stella, Flack, Hawkes, Adam, Sid, and a hesitant Cameron all surrounded the bed, gifts in hand, showering the little girl with attention. As they all engrossed the little girl in multiple conversations, Lindsay tapped Cameron on the shoulder, signaling him outside, mouthing, "We need to talk," as he nodded in response and followed her out into the hallway.

She didn't know where to begin at first; she stared at the floor and every surface around him, trying to avoid his eyes as he spoke first.

"What's goin' on Lindsay? Why does Messer think she's my kid?" he asked her kind of coldly, crossing his arms across his chest.

Still hesitant to speak, she tried to find the words, any words, to make him feel at least a little better about the whole situation. "Cam, I'm so sorry I ever let any of this happen," she started out. "But that night, I couldn't help myself. I saw an opportunity and I grabbed it."

"What night, what opportunity?" he asked her, still confused.

"The night you came over for pizza, Danny came over. He saw you and Bailey together and thought that we were together and that, that she was yours and I couldn't tell him the truth Cam, I just couldn't." She was hoping she wouldn't cry, but when the wave of emotions hit her, she couldn't help herself.

"So you just let him go on believing it then?" responded a very unsympathetic Cameron.

"Well I couldn't just tell him the truth. He hurt me, Cameron. I confided in you, I told you everything he did to me, I thought you would understand."

"I understand what he did to you, but what I don't understand is why you would let him go on thinking she was mine when you could have just told him that I was just a friend. You know how much I care about you and Bailey, but that was low, even for you Lindsay. I've gotta go."

He turned on his heel, a pink bunny in hand, and returned to Bailey's room, trying to fake a smile for the sake of the child.

"I hope you feel better Bailey. I've gotta get going, see you soon," he said handing her the stuffed toy.

"Thanks Uncle Cameron, bye!" she said, growing confused as he rushed himself out of the room, her mother returning, wiping the tears from her eyes as she tried to hide what had happened from her child.

"Is he gonna go catch more bad guys, Uncle Mac?" she questioned the older man, staring up at his equally confused face.

"Yeah, he's going to go catch the bad guys kiddo. With all of us here, we need someone to do it," he replied, forming a believable lie to convince the child otherwise as he tried to figure out what exactly was going on for himself.

"Well, we'd better get going. Take care Bailey."

They each said their goodbyes, leaving their gifts as they exited, all of them individually giving Lindsay a "We'll talk later" look as they made their departure.

"Well that was nice, huh kiddo?" Lindsay asked her daughter, trying to hide her emotions from the four year old.

"Yeah, I got a bunch of cool stuff! Maybe staying in this place isn't so bad after all," she replied excitedly, getting a laugh from her mother. "When's Danny gonna be back? I want to show him all my presents," she asked as she looked around the room, hoping to see the man she had come to love emerging from the shadows.

"I don't know baby, he said he'd be back, just give him some time."

What they didn't realize was that Danny was closer than they thought.

-----------

He was used to being stared at, being hit on, being scoped out. But this? This was just a new level of public humiliation. He was doing it for Bailey, he had to keep reminding himself, all for the child, for his little girl. He was only hoping this would brighten her spirits as much as it did for the people in the hallway. How was he supposed to know it was a "one size fits nobody" outfit? The red spandex clinging to his body was growing more uncomfortable by the second, but he only had to last a couple more minutes before he could make a mad dash back to the bathroom to change out of this ridiculous get up and back into his tshirt and jeans.

The stares were becoming more annoying by the second, especially when one child screaming "Oh my God, it's the Flash!" would turn every head in the room.

"This is all for Bailey," he muttered underneath the mask that clung to his face, making it hard to breathe. At least if he passed out, he was in the right place to seek treatment.

Finally reaching Bailey's room, he knocked on the door, trying not to laugh at the expression painted on Lindsay's face when she opened the door.

-----------

She had expected him to bring back a comic book, a carton of ice cream, a box of crayons. But never in her wildest dreams would she have expected him to go to such lengths for their daughter. It almost made her cry.

But the sensation of laughter growing in her chest wouldn't let her.

"Why, hello sir. Can I help you?" she asked him, giggling through every word.

"Why yes you can ma'am. I'm looking for a Bailey Monroe."

Hearing her own name being spoken, Bailey's head cocked toward the door, her mouth dropping through the floor as she realized who was there.

"Are you Bailey Monroe?" he asked her as he was granted entrance to her hospital room, trying not to break character or simply burst out laughing at the look of surprise and wonder on his daughter's face.

She couldn't seem to speak; she was at a loss for words. Her favorite comic book hero was currently standing in her presence. She was trying her hardest not to pass out from the pure shock of it all.

"Y-yes," she managed to muster.

"Well Bailey Monroe, a little birdie told me that you were sick. I can't have one of my biggest fans being sick now can I? I wanted to drop by and tell you how much I appreciate you watching my show and reading my comics. But when I heard you were in the hospital, I had to come and see you. Your doctors tell me you're trying to break outta here."

"That's cause, cause I wanted to be strong like you," she replied, almost in a whisper as she tried to muster up the right words to say.

"Well kiddo, I have super powers, that's the only reason I'm so tough. Without them, I'd be a weakling," he told her, trying to be as convincing as possible.

"But, but you're the strongest person I know Flash," she said doubting him.

"No Bailey, you're the strong one here. You made it through that surgery, I could never do that. I'd be too scared."

"But you're the Flash, you're not afraid of anything," she told him, gaining more confidence as her hero confided in her.

"Can I let you in on a little secret?" he whispered as he walked closer towards her bed.

She nodded her head as he kneeled down next to her. "I'm afraid of hospitals. Ever since I was little, I've hated them. I had to have surgery when I was little too, and they were pokin' me with needles and stuff, and I was so scared, I was crying. But you, you're tough. You didn't even cry at all, did you?" he asked her as she shook her head. "See? You're tougher than I'll ever be. And that's what makes you so special."

Reaching behind him, he pulled out a small bag.

"That's why I'm here to make you an honorary Flash cadet. Not many kids get to do this, so you're pretty special." He pulled out a small badge with the Flash logo displayed across it, clearly a party favor from the nearest party store, but to Bailey, it was the greatest thing a four year old Flash fanatic could ever receive. "Now, with this comes responsibility you know. You've gotta promise to be strong, no matter what's thrown at ya. And when the doctors say you've gotta stay here for a couple more days, you've gotta listen to them."

She nodded at her hero standing in front of her. She would do anything he said.

"I promise," she replied as he pinned the badge onto her hospital gown.

"Alright, good. Now, I've gotta get out of here, the Green Lantern's been on my case lately and it's about time I got rid of him. You think you can be brave and listen to the doctors for me?"

"Definitely," she told him enthusiastically.

"Good. I'll see you later Bailey. I hope you have a speedy recovery."

"Thanks Flash. Hey wait, can I take a picture with you?" she asked as he was about to exit.

"Why not? I'd do anything for my biggest fan," he replied as Lindsay got out her camera, snapping a photo of their daughter with "the Flash", her smile bigger than her face.

"See ya later kid," he said, waving as he left the room.

"That was so cool!" Bailey told her mom, her hands still shaking as she stared, mouth agape at the badge now displayed on her front, still trying to figure out if that had really just happened.

-----------

He no less than flew down the hallway, living up to the title of "Flash" displayed on his costume. He changed out of the tight costume as fast as he could, trying not to rip it as the spandex seemed to be stuck to his skin. Stuffing the costume into a duffel that he had brought with him, he made his way back down the hallway to see his family.

"Hey kiddo, how ya feelin?" he asked, poking his head in the door, trying not to smile too much as he watched her trace her fingers over the badge.

"Danny, you missed it, you missed it!" she told him enthusiastically as he pulled a chair up next to her bed.

"I missed what?"

"He was here, he was here _in my room_!"

"Who was here Bay?" he asked her with a chuckle.

"The Flash! He was here in my room! He came to see me! See?" she replied, holding up the badge for him to get a closer look.

"Wow, that's awesome Bay. I guess it's not even gonna compare to what I brought you then, huh?"

The look on her face went instantly from amazement to curiosity.

"You brought me something?" she searched his person for some sort of package, anything to indicated her receiving a gift.

"Well yeah, that's why I left. But I guess you won't want it now that you've got that cool badge." He pretended to look disappointed as she tried to reassure him.

"No, no, I'll take whatever you've got," she replied anxiously, getting a laugh from both Danny and Lindsay.

"I guess I can try then," he said halfheartedly, pulling the mysterious package out of the bag.

"Whoa, that's so cool!" Bailey exclaimed as Danny pulled a Flash baseball cap out of the bag, equipped with wings on the side and everything.

"I figured you'd want something to hid that bandaid until they took it off," he shrugged as he caught Lindsay's smile.

"It's awesome! Thanks Danny!" she exclaimed she threw her arms around him tightly.

"No problem kiddo. I'm glad you like it."

"I _love _it!" she muttered into his stomach as Lindsay crept slowly over the bed, smiling at father and daughter interacting so sweetly.

Their little family moment was interrupted all too soon by Dr. Markko.

"Ready for your test kiddo?"

"Definitely!" she exclaimed, staring down at her badge.

"Alright then, let's get to it."

As the wheeled her out of the room, Lindsay wrapped her arms around Danny's waist, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You're amazing, you know that ?"

"What, me?" he laughed as she smiled up at him.

"Thank you Danny, you made her so happy today."

"I'd do anything to see her smile Linds. Same with you."

As they stared into each other's eyes, he brought his hand up to her cheek, running his thumb over her soft skin.

He slowly brought her face up to his, their lips meeting for the first time since he had left.

It was everything they had both wanted and more. Fireworks were going off in his head, like they were two teenagers kissing for the first time. But this was better.

She tasted as sweet as he remembered, all of their memories flooding back as she kissed him back, more passionately than before.

They lingered there for a moment, neither one of them wanting to let go. As they reluctantly pulled away, he noticed the almost drunken gaze that she gave him, still smiling as he brushed her hair behind her ears and held her tight against his chest.

Right here was the only place in the world he would ever need to be.


	14. Chapter 14

**i know, i know, it's past Saturday, but i was like DEAD tired on Saturday night and i had to work a double last night..brutal !  
so here we go, next chapter, whoot !**

i've decided to dedicate this to laurzz and her drama, hope this makes you feel better kiddo !  
haha.

enjoy (:  
--mtc.

Chapter 14

"Well kiddo, looks like you're all set to get out of here."

It was like music to her ears. Bailey had been cooped up in the hospital for longer than she had ever wanted to be there for. Although it had only been five days, those long hours had seemed like forever in the eyes of the four year old little girl. Her room had been showered with cards, balloons, and presents galore, from her preschool class, the entire crime lab staff, as well as various family members on Lindsay's side. On one particular occasion, little Tommy Jones from her class had stopped by to personally deliver the giant card that the class had made for her, along with his own personal gift for her: a stuffed pink bear holding a plush heart that read "Get Well Soon". This struck a chord in Danny; his little girl had her first crush, and she was in preschool. Was this not the same little boy who had sent her home crying all those times? As Lindsay had sat by and watched him resist the urge to throw the little boy out by his ears, she laughed and reminded him that he was the same way with her when they had first met: he was a jokester, trying to win her over by poking fun at her. And it had worked. This small detail was enough to force him out of the room, leaving behind a confused Bailey and Tommy, and a laughing Lindsay.

At the end of the week, behind the giant piles of get well soon cards and feel better balloons, Danny's mound of gifts clearly ranked highest in size, being bigger than both the local toy store and the hospital gift shop combined. He had missed out on so much of his little girl's life already that he figured he would make up for lost time by spoiling her now, much to Lindsay's dismay. By the time they had dumped the truckload of Danny's gifts into their apartment, there would be no room for Lindsay and Bailey to live, a thought that made her chuckle. But anything that made their little girl happy was okay with her. The matching grins present on both father and daughter's faces just helped that decision along; the twinkle in both of their eyes making for adorable pictures that ended up plastered all over the walls of Bailey's hospital room. Lindsay laughed as she stared at each one of them, the serious one, the cute on of them cuddled together reading a comic, the one with both of their tongues sticking out, and the one that the doctor had taken of the three of them together. If perfection was ever possible, she was seeing it right at this moment.

After undergoing countless amounts of testing and physical therapy sessions, Bailey was finally being released from her "prison cell" as she liked to call it. She was ready to sleep in her own bed, eat junk food all day, and just be a normal kid again. Of course, the doctor had warned her, she was going to have to take it easy for a while, coming in once a week to check that the wound was healing itself properly, and eventually to take the stitches out. There was also the "don't get the bandage wet" rule that was strictly enforced upon her, one that she was quite excited to follow.

"Does that mean I don't have to take a bath?" she chimed in eagerly. Danny, Lindsay, and the doctor all shared a laugh.

"You'll still have to take baths regularly, you'll just have to be careful around your bandage. If you don't take a bath until it comes off, you'll be one dirty little girl, won't you?"

"Yeah Bay," Lindsay chimed in. "Plus, you don't want to start smelling like Danny, do you?"

Appalled at the insult, Danny's mouth dropped as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"Well excuse me Ms. Monroe, but your morning breath is a little bit worse than my manly stench, am I right?"

As their playful bantering grew more and more heated, Bailey had erupted into a fit of giggles.

"At least _I _brush my teeth, Messer. I don't even want to imagine what goes on in that mouth of yours."

"That's not what you said last night," he mumbled, his face twisting into a devious grin, making certain that his words were solely audible to her ears. Her face turned bright red, both from embarrassment that someone had heard, and from the memories of the previous night that now flooded her thoughts.

They had gone to Lindsay's apartment. It was only supposed to be for a minute; Bailey had insisted upon Danny reading her another comic, and when they had discovered that it had been the only one that hadn't made its way to the hospital, their only solution was to go back and look for it. As they were about to give up, Danny had gotten down on his hands and knees and check under the couch.

"Boom!" he had exclaimed upon finding the crinkled book, a thin layer of dust beginning to form on the cover. "Looks like we've got what we came for," he half mumbled as he began to get up, bumping into Lindsay in doing so. There faces were so close to touching, neither one of them could bear to pull away. It was like gravity was pulling them closer to one another, the force of attraction unavoidable. But neither of them minded.

What had begun as a treasure hunt for their daughter's comic book had turned into a make out session on her living room couch, just like they had done back in the day, no one around to reprimand them and tell them to get back to work, no phone calls to interrupt them, nothing to get in their way. They were tangled up in each other for what seemed like an endless eternity, when they both pulled back at the same moment, neither wanting to, but both knowing they had to get back to Bailey. They returned to the hospital, one of Danny's strong hands clutching the magazine and the other intertwined with Lindsay's, leaving Bailey confused and the two of them fighting for an explanation.

"Do you guys like each other or something?" the little girl had asked point blank, quirking her eyebrow as she stared at her parents who looked like a pair of deer caught in headlights. Their hands had broke the instant she had spoken the words, both staring at each other, searching for answers.

"Or were you just holding my mom's hand to help her cross the street?" The child's innocence was like a huge sigh of relief. Nodding in agreement as quickly as possible, trying not to seem flustered, they were both calmed as the little girl shrugged and returned to her coloring. The rest of the night was very relaxed, the three of them huddled together on the bed reading comics and joking together, but the tension made Danny and Lindsay uneasy.

After tucking their little girl into bed, they had returned to their beds in the family wing, deciding to crash for the night. But neither one of them could honestly say they got any sleep. The same thoughts were running through both of their heads. They had never discussed if they were officially "back together" yet, it was something that was hanging over them like clouds in the sky. Of course it was what they both wanted, but the list of questions was endless. Where would they live? Would they be able to manage work and play? Would there be a horrible failure like the last time? And most importantly, what would Bailey think? They hadn't even brought into consideration that their little girl was still completely oblivious to their budding romance, what if she didn't approve? As much as she loved Danny being around, there was still that small chance that she only wanted to have him as her friend, a thought that pained them both. But there were more important things to think about, like the fact that their daughter was getting out of the hospital and that they would all be able to go home again and return to their lives once again.

Being pulled from her memories, Lindsay smirked back at Danny as the doctor helped Bailey into a wheelchair, preparing to take her to the front desk to be signed out. As they exited the room, she pulled Danny--who had started following them--back towards her, pulling his ear towards her lips.

"Any more cracks like that Messer, and there won't be much of anything going on in that mouth of yours anymore," she whispered seductively, leaving him speechless, mouth agape, standing in the middle of the hospital room. He was twitching the entire car ride home, Lindsay laughing at his every squirm, patting his thigh lightly to reassure him, which only made things worse for him.

-----------

"My bed, my bed!" exclaimed an enthused Bailey, running at her tiny bed that had been covered in all of the stuffed animals she had received while she was gone. Lindsay chuckled as he daughter ran around her room hugging all of her toys and throwing her self onto her bed.

"Happy to be home, Bay?"

"YES!" the little girl yelled as she laid down, snuggling into her comforter.

"You look tired sweetie. Do you want us to leave you alone so you can take a nap?" Lindsay asked the drained looking little girl whose eyes were beginning to close.

"Sure, sounds like a good idea," she replied, yawning.

"Alright then, sweet dreams," she whispered, kissing the little girl on the forehead.

"Night Bay," Danny said, following Lindsay into the room, standing next to her in front of Bailey's bed.

"Wait, Danny, are you gonna be here later?" she asked, suddenly wide awake.

"If you want me to. I won't leave until you kick me out," he replied with a chuckle.

"Good," she answered him simply, closing her eyes again as she tucked her Yankees blanket tightly around herself.

They stood there for a moment, watching her sleep peacefully. Neither one of them wanted to leave, fearing that the second they did, something would go wrong. Eventually, the decided to leave her to her nap, and they headed into the living room, sitting on opposite sides of the couch, both too shy to initiate a conversation.

"Is that Bailey's baby book?" Danny's eyes had been wandering the room, avoiding Lindsay's, and they had come to rest on pink photo album resting on the coffee table. As he noticed the baby bottles and rattles that decorated the outside, his eyes lit up as he realized what it was.

"Yeah," Lindsay replied warmly, a smile spreading on her face. "You wanna see it?"

He was finally able to make eye contact with her, both of them smiling sweetly as she grabbed the book off of its resting position, creaking the cover open as it had clearly not been looked at in a while. His eyes were sparkling as she flipped to the first page.

It was beautifully decorated, scrap booked like a professional, obviously all Lindsay's doing. "Bailey Louise Monroe" was written across the top of the page in pink lettering, above a picture of an extremely tiny baby. She had a pink hat on her head and a standard newborn blanket wrapped around her. Underneath the picture was written "February 11, 2006, 3 lbs., 7 oz." He stared at the picture of his daughter in amazement. She was the tiniest little being he had ever seen. He and Lindsay had scooted closer together, the book resting comfortably on both of their knees that were so close, they were almost overlapping. He gently ran his finger over the picture, mouth slightly agape, staring in wonder and amazement.

"She's so tiny," he said, barely above a whisper, not taking his eyes off of the picture for one second.

"She was a month premature," Lindsay replied quietly.

At his news, his head shot from the picture to Lindsay.

"Was she okay?" he asked worriedly. If anything had happened to his baby girl, he would never be able to forgive himself. Lindsay smiled at him reassuringly.

"She was fine, Danny, it's okay. She had a little trouble breathing for the first night, but other than that, she was completely healthy. She was the perfect baby." She smiled as she remembered the days of Bailey as an infant. She was such a happy baby, it made it so much easier for Lindsay to get through the days.

She turned the page to reveal the picture that Danny passed by so often in the hallway, the one of Lindsay holding her daughter for the first time. It amazed him how natural and beautiful she looked holding their little girl in her arms. It made him sad that he wasn't there to share the memory with them. There were various other hospital pictures of Bailey, including her and her maternal grandparents, a photo of Bailey and the crime lab staff, and one of Bailey and her mother getting ready to leave the hospital. He still couldn't get over how tiny and perfect she was. She took his breath away. Turning the page, they shared a laugh as they saw pictures of Bailey's first bath. Mac and Stella had been over that afternoon to help out, and they amount of water covering the three of them was more than the amount in the sink the baby was sitting in. There were many other Baby's First photos for Danny to see, including her first time sitting up, her first attempt at crawling, and her first time at the park, Lindsay pushing her in a swing as she erupted into a fit of giggles.

There were photos of the baby's first birthday party, chocolate icing covering her face, her first Halloween where she was dressed up as a pumpkin, and her first Christmas, sitting on the lap of Flack who was dressed as Santa for the staff's Christmas party, taking place in Lindsay's living room. He had tears in his eyes as he stared at all of the pictures, himself absent from them, wishing he could turn back the clock and right all of his wrongs.

"I missed so much Linds. I feel like such a failure. I wish I could have been here to help you out with all of this. It must have been terrible to have to go through it on your own," he said as they were stopped on a page with a two year old Bailey at the beach, digging in the sand.

She glanced up at him with a sad smile. "It's okay Danny. You're here now, and that's all that matters. Besides, I didn't do it all on my own, I had a lot of help from Mac, Stella, and Flack."

The thought of his coworkers changing diapers made him chuckle. "I know that, but I still should have been here. I should have never walked out on you Linds, it was the most selfish thing I've ever done, abandoning you with our daughter. I'm a failure to you, and I'm a failure to Bailey."

"Danny, you could never be a failure to me or our daughter," she said, grabbing his arm in reassurance. "Do you realize how much she adores you? She loves you Danny, and…and so do I."

He stared into her eyes, realizing the words that had just come out of her mouth. She loved him. Of course, he had never doubted that, but it had been so long since he had heard her say those words, it was like he could finally go on living again. He took hold of her shoulders and pulled her in for a sweet kiss.

"I love you too Lindsay. With all of my heart. I'm going to make this right again. I promise, I will never let you down again."

All she could do in response was smile.

"You know, there's still more to the book. Bailey added some pictures before her accident, and she wanted you to see it, but she never got the chance."

She signaled for him to turn the page, and his eyes brightened up as he stared at the picture in front of him. It was the one they had snapped the first day he had picked her up from gymnastics class: her and Danny, sitting together on the floor of his living room. Scrawled in the little girl's amateur handwriting above the picture were the words "Best Friends." He tried not to cry, but he couldn't help himself. Lindsay smiled as she cuddled up next to him, both staring at the picture.

"See? I told you Cowboy. She loves you. Turn the page."

It was no surprise to him what was coming next. There was the other picture snapped from that day, Lindsay, Bailey, and him. The perfect little family, all cozy and cute. He hugged her close and kissed the top her head.

"I love you Lindsay Monroe."

"I love you too Danny."

As they cuddled on the couch, completely oblivious to the rest of the world, they didn't notice the sneaky child watching them from behind the wall. She had only been there for a couple of moments, but she had seen enough to have the wheels turning in her head. She would have to be pretty sneaky, and working around the adults would be hard, but she was sure she could pull her plan off. The ideas concocting in her head were much bigger than her, but she saw opportunity in front of her, and she knew what she wanted. All she needed now was the help from a friend, and her little scheme would be set into motion. As she heard them mumble something about "checking on Bailey," she quietly snuck back into her room, diving under the covers and pretending she was asleep, her back turned to them, laughing to herself as whispers of "she's still asleep" rang throughout her room. As she drifted off to sleep, she couldn't wait until morning came so her plotting could be set into motion.

-----------

"You don't have to go Danny, you can just crash here, I know Bailey wouldn't oppose, and you know I wouldn't either," Lindsay said as Danny was searching for his misplaced keys.

"Are you sure Montana? I don't wanna be some kind of disturbance," he replied with a smirk, pulling her into his arms.

"You? A disturbance? I would never dream of it," she replied, placing a tender kiss upon his lips, lingering there for a moment before she tried to pull away, only to be pulled in for more.

"I guess we're having a sleepover," he said jokingly, kicking his shoes back off and plopping down on the couch, opening his arms for her to join him.

"Danny, you don't have to sleep on the couch. My bed is big enough for the both of us," she laughed as she leaned into his embrace.

"See, I thought about that. But then I got to thinkin'. If I share that bed with you, I'm gonna want to be doin' a lot of things to you that I'm not sure you'd want our daughter hearin'," he whispered into her ear in a deep voice that made her shudder.

"Well then cowboy, you have a decision to make. Either resist temptation, or take the backache in the morning," she replied with a laugh.

There was no question in his decision as they got up, him following her through the all too familiar route to her bedroom.

-----------

It was only 6:30 in the morning, and Don Flack didn't begin his shift until noon. That to him was a blessing, but the minute his phone had begun ringing at ungodly hours, he was ready to throw a tantrum. Reading Lindsay's name through blurred vision on the screen of his phone, he began to worry. Was something wrong with Bailey? Or had Danny gone off the deep end again? Without hesitating, he answered the phone, assuming the worst.

"Lindsay, what's wrong, is everything okay?"

"Hi Uncle Flack. It's me Bailey."

He was confused. What was Bailey doing awake at 6:30 with Lindsay's cell phone?

"Hiya kiddo, what's up?"

"I need your help with something, but it's a secret. You gotta promise not to tell anyone."

"Sure, what do you need?" His thoughts began racing. What could his four year old niece possibly be concocting?

"Okay, here's the thing…"

As he listened to the little girl reveal her plans, he had to resist laughing. For such a young, innocent child, she had certainly caught on quick. He couldn't wait to help her put her plan into motion. No matter what consequences he received from his friends, it would all be worth it in the end.


	15. Chapter 15

**hey guys !  
thanks for all of the amazing reviews, it really makes my day, like seriously.  
before you read the next chapter, i have an idea to run by you all, let me know what you think.  
i thought i would start making the chapters a once a week type thing, like once every wednesday, in place of the CSI we're missing out on. im not guaranteeing they'll be out at 9 every night, but every wednesday for sure. i thought it would be a cool idea, but if youre not too hep on waiting 7 days, that's okay too, haha. if i did it, i might even be all cute and add previews for next week, hahah.******

anyway, here's the next chapter, and let me know what you think about the idea.  


**enjoy (:**

**--mtc.**

Chapter 15

When Lindsay awoke, she had expected a lot of things.

She had expected to be surrounded by dozens of other people, her privacy being invaded by their chatter and simply their mere existence. She expected to be cold, seeing as the blankets in the hospitals were never warm enough, having the consistency of tissue paper. She expected to glance over at the bed that was pressed up against hers, the one that Danny had inhabited for the past week, sheets rumpled, him sitting atop them with two coffees in hand, smiling down at her slumbering figure. She had expected them to take their coffees with them and make their way to their daughter's room together, awaiting test results and holding her hand as she endured the grueling physical therapy sessions. She had expected grotesque hospital food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and then sleeping atop the same makeshift bed she had woken up in, the routine beginning once again, on repeat like the previous days had seemed to be. But never in her wildest dreams had she expected to wake up in her own bed, Danny's muscular arms wrapped tightly around her, his shallow breathing warm on her back, lying ever so peacefully in the comfort of her own home. She didn't dare move for fear of disturbing his sleep, it was just too perfect a moment to ruin. Instead, she closed her eyes and drank in everything around her; the scent of his cologne, the softness of his flesh against hers, the way he held her ever so gently. She smiled as she let herself fade back into him, needing to be absolutely nowhere else in the world.

The sereneness of the moment was interrupted by the familiar pitter patter of little feet making their way towards her bedroom door. She jumped up from the bed, startling Danny as she ran towards the door, attempting to stop her daughter before she walked in on her mother and her best friend lying in bed together. Wouldn't that be a hard one to talk her way out of? She quietly snuck out her door, closing it behind her to block out anything her little girl might notice.

"Mommy, why are you still in your pajamas, you have to go to work!" the little girl questioned with a very determined look on her face. As Lindsay began to focus a little bit more, she noticed that her daughter was already fully dressed, the smell of toothpaste lingering on her lips, her backpack in tow, all ready to head out.

"Baby, did you get ready all by yourself?" she asked with a yawn.

"Yeah, we have to go, I have school and you have work, let's get a move on!" she insisted as she began to drag her mother to the kitchen. "I already made you breakfast, so you don't even have to waste any more time," she said gesturing at the bowl of Fruity Pebbles that were growing soggy sitting in the milk. "Well, go on, eat it." Lindsay stifled a laugh as she stared at her daughter, arms folded across her chest, foot tapping impatiently.

"Bailey, sweetie, mommy took the day off so she could stay home and take care of you. You're not going to school today baby. You just got out of the hospital. You can go back to sleep."

Bailey's face dropped at this news. She wasn't expecting a flaw in her plan so soon.

"Why can't I go to school? My head feels fine, I'm not in the hopstickle anymore, I wanna see my friends!" the little girl said in defense, tears brimming in her blue eyes.

Lindsay tried to hide her laughter at the way her daughter still mispronounced some of her words, and pulled her into a hug, trying to comfort her. "Baby, I know you want to see your friends and go back to school, but you were in a big accident, you have to take it easy for a little while. You'll be back in school in no time, I promise."

"But I _have _been taking it easy, I was in that stupid bed for five whole days!" she replied.

"I know, but that was because the doctors had to make sure everything was okay. Now that the doctors are gone, that's mommy's job. I don't want you to get hurt again."

"And neither do I." Both girls turned around to see a very sleepy looking Danny standing behind them, a sigh of relief washing over Lindsay as she noted that he had put a shirt back on.

"Danny!" Bailey exclaimed, running over to him and wrapping her arms around his legs in a tight hug.

"Mornin' kiddo. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, it was way more comfortable than those stupid hopstickle beds," she responded, earning a chuckle from Danny.

"Well that's good," he replied as he got down on his knees so that he was now eye level with his little girl. "Listen kiddo, I know you wanna go to school today, but you just got out of the hospital, and your head is still a little hurt, so the doctors put me and your mommy in charge of keepin' an eye on your boo boo until it goes away. So if you can tough it out for a few more days, I bet it would make your mommy real happy."

Bailey glanced back at Lindsay and then back to Danny.

"Okay, I guess," she said sadly. "But I don't wanna stay at home for a whole week. Can't I go to work with you guys?"

"Bay, I already told you, I took off so we could stay home," Lindsay said.

"Come on Linds, what could it hurt? I'm sure Mac could use the extra hand anyway," Danny asked her.

Sighing, Lindsay gave in. She couldn't help it. When it came to those blue eyes and that Messer grin, she couldn't win.

"Alright, alright, I quit, you guys win," she said as she jokingly threw her hands up, surrendering.

"Yay!" Bailey shouted excitedly as she gave her mom a hug. "Thank you mommy, I promise I'll be a good girl."

"I don't doubt it baby. Now why don't you go watch some tv while me and your dadd--Danny, go get ready?"

She watched their daughter skip over to the living room as she turned to Danny, a smile spreading on his face.

"Boo boo? Hopstickle?" she laughed as he pulled her into a hug.

"Hey, it worked, didn't it? Go get dressed, we've got a lot of work to do today. Mac's probably gonna be ridin' out asses for not being in all week," he told her, giving her a playful shove towards her bedroom. He watched her walk down the long hallway in his t-shirt and a pair of shorts, her hair still rumpled from her sleep. She was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. And she was his. He wasn't going to let her get away this time.

"So what are we watchin' kiddo?" he asked, settling into a seat next to Bailey on the couch.

"Spongebob. It's the only thing on," she replied with a sigh as the characters on tv seemed to bore her. "Did you sleep over last night or somethin'?"

The question shocked Danny. He had forgotten that she didn't know. "Yeah I did kiddo. I told you I'd be here til you kicked me out, didn't I?"

She smiled up at him with her four year old charm and then returned her attention to the cartoons on the television.

Eventually, Lindsay returned, showered and ready to go, leaving the bathroom open to Danny, who got ready as quickly as possible so they wouldn't be late to their first day back since Bailey's accident. Lindsay, in the mean time, called Mac to make sure it was okay she showed up instead of taking the day off like she had planned, packed Bailey's medicines that the doctor had prescribed, and loaded everything into the car. As soon as they were ready, the three headed out to the crime lab. The entire trip, Bailey pretended she was busying herself with her crayons and coloring book, making it look like she was completely oblivious to the amount of flirting going on in the front seat between her mother and Danny. All the while, the little girl was plotting, thanking God that she was going to the crime lab today rather than school. This just made it easier to set her plan into motion. All she needed now was the assistance of Don Flack.

-----------

As they entered the crime lab, Bailey was swarmed with hugs and well wishes, everyone on staff telling her they were glad she was okay. As appreciative as she was, she only needed to see one person at the moment, and that person was currently missing in action. A huge grin spread on her face as she sought him out in the crowd.

"Uncle Flack, Uncle Flack!" she exclaimed as she darted away from the swarm of people that had been surrounding her. She jumped into his arms as he pulled her into a tight hug.

"Hey sweetheart, I'm glad to see you."

"Me too," she replied with a wink, making him laugh as he returned the gesture and carried her back towards Danny and Lindsay.

"So he gets a huge hug and a parade, and all I get is a 'morning mommy'?" Lindsay joked as she put on a fake pout and pretended to cry.

"Mommy, I haven't seen him in forever!"

"It's been four days Bay, he came to visit you in the hospital," she countered.

"But me and him are gonna go play, _you _weren't gonna let me do anything," she responded, sticking her tongue out at her mother, causing Danny and Don to erupt in laughter, and Lindsay's mouth to form the shape of an "o".

"Alright baby, but be careful, no rough play Donnie," she said, pinching his cheek. "You break my daughter, I'll break your neck."

"Trust me Monroe, we won't do anything you wouldn't approve of," he said, sending a smirk towards Bailey who giggled in response as the two walked away hand in hand.

"So whaddya think they're up to?" Danny asked as they pair watched their daughter walk off with their best friend.

"Your guess is as good as mine," she replied, equally confused as he was.

"Messer, Monroe."

They turned their heads at the same time, meeting the grin of their boss, Mac Taylor.

"Get your asses back to work, you've got a lot of catching up to do," he said with a smile, handing them each a mountain of paperwork.

This was going to be a long day.

-----------

After three and a half hours of grueling paperwork, both Danny and Lindsay were ready to get back to field work and lab work. They had missed the hands on part about their job over the past week, and were ready to dig right back into it. But they both knew Mac would start them out on paperwork, and no matter how much of a bore it was to sit at a desk all day, they both knew someone had to do it.

They just wished it wasn't them.

"So, how's your stack goin' over there Montana?" Danny asked her, looking over his barely started stack of files.

"Pretty good, I'm about half way done. I figure I'll work through lunch and see if I can get off early. What about you---Danny!" As she looked over at his desk, she realized that Danny had barely started, let alone gotten nearly as far as she had.

"What?" he replied, peering over the enormous stack with an innocent look on his face, reminding Lindsay of a lost puppy.

"Danny, we've been at this for almost four hours and you're still on your second file, what have you been doing over there?"

As she got up to head over to his desk, he popped an M&M into his mouth and put his feet up on the desk, almost knocking the organized stack of manila folders over. As she approached the desk, she put her hands on her hips as she realized just how much of a little kid the thirty three year old man in front of her was. One of Bailey's "Flash" coloring books was sitting open on his desk, a fully detailed picture sitting in front of him, his bag of M&M's torn open and scattered about the desk for easy access. He smiled a toothy grin up at her and held his palm out, full of the tiny chocolate candies.

"Want one?"

She rolled her eyes and smacked him on the forehead playfully, taking the coloring book and shoving it in one of her desk drawers.

"Hey, Montana, I wasn't done with that!" he yelled at her in protest.

"Danny, get to work," she laughed as she saw the look of disgust on his face when he realized there was nothing left to distract him from the work in front of him.

She glanced over to make sure he was doing his paperwork, and when she saw him lazily and annoyingly pick up a file, she was satisfied and returned to her own diminishing stack. No more than 10 minutes later, she heard the opening of his desk drawer, a familiar slide of plastic on plastic, and then clicking. Rolling her eyes, she got up once again and walked over to his desk, taking the device from his hands.

"No texting Danny, WORK," she said, emphasizing the word "work" as she pocketed his cell phone and returned to her own desk.

"Hey, give that back! What if I get called out?"

"Then I'll answer it for you, now get back to work before I have to come over there and babysit you."

He stuck his tongue out at her as he picked up his pen and returned to the file that he had been staring at for the past 2 hours.

"You're such a kid, you know that?" she said with a laugh. "You're worse than Bailey, I only have to tell her things once and she listens."

"Stop talking to me, you're distracting me from my work," he said sarcastically, sticking his tongue out at her again as he returned to his files. He was actually making some progress on the stack when he heard the opening of her desk drawer. Glancing over, he saw her with her own cell phone in her hands, texting away like a teenager. He got up sneakily and walked around behind her desk, snatching the phone out of her hands.

"HEY!" she screamed as whipped around, seeing him standing there smirking, her phone in his hand.

"No texting Montana," he said, mocking her voice from earlier.

"Danny, I was just--"

"Ah, ah, ah. No. If I can't text, you can't text," he said pocketing her phone like she had his own.

"Danny--"

"Nope."

"Dan--"

"Work."

Becoming agitated, she whipped his cell phone out of her pocket and scrolled through the contacts until she found herself, listed as "Montana :] ". She glanced up with a smirk as she heard the vibrate go off in his pocket. Startled, he reached fished the phone out of his pocket and saw "Wiseass :P " displayed on the screen in front of him. He clicked "View Now" and read the text message.

_Nice smiley face Messer. Now seriously, can I have my phone back? I was just texting Flack to check up on Bailey._

This was going to be fun.

He hit reply and started typing on the keypad of her phone, the room silent except for the sound of clicking keys.

_Why thank you. I thought the smiley was a nice touch. Now what's up with me being Wiseass in your phone? I go all nice and make your name look cute, but I look like a jackass in your phone? And no, you can't have it back :P_

Reading the message, she tried to stifle her laughter. This was strictly a text conversation, and she wanted to keep it that way.

_Why not? What if she's in mortal danger? What if Flack brought her out to a shooting and used her in place of his vest? As for your name, I like it just the way it is, thank you._

Trying to hide the laughter on her face, she watched him as he read the text message, trying to picture the images of his daughter as a gun shield going through his mind, hoping to scare him. She got what she wanted, seeing his face go from a smirk to sheer terror. She had to bite down on the inside of her cheek to keep from breaking into a laughing fit at the look on his face. A few minutes later, she got her reply.

_I'm gonna fucking kill you for that. It's not funny! I see you laughin over there. I can't believe you would say such things about our daughter. By the way, I changed my name. I think you'll find it a bit more suiting than this "wiseass" character you so pegged me as._

Reading "our daughter" made her heart flutter, but reading that he had changed his name in her phone caught her interest. She glanced over at him and quirked an eyebrow.

_Oh you did, did you? Can I see it?_

He laughed as he opened the message. Oh, how he loved teasing her.

_No :P_

Reading his simple reply, she glanced over at him and tried to read him with her eyes. But he had already returned to his work, much to her dismay.

_Why not? It's my phone Messer, I want it back._

_Tough luck, it's mine now :P_

As he typed the message, Lindsay had glanced up from her file, hearing footsteps at the door. Mac was standing behind Danny, putting a finger to his lips, signaling to Lindsay not to make a sound. She silently giggled and gave him a thumbs up, watching as Danny replied to her text, a huge smile on his face.

"Whatcha up do Danny?"

"Aww nothin', just texting Linds--WOAH!" Flustered, he whipped around in his chair, knocking over the stack of files on his desk, facing his boss who was now laughing at him, along with his partner in crime across the room.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, 'get back to work'," he muttered as he began picking the file folders up off the floor, watching Mac's feet as he exited their office laughing.

"Gee thanks Montana, you got me in trouble with the principal."

"Sorry cowboy, you walked into that one all on your own," she replied, still laughing.

"You could've warned me he was here!" he protested.

"Well, I could've, but this way was a lot funnier," she said sticking her tongue out at him.

"Oh really?" he said quirking an eyebrow and folding his arms across his chest. "I'll get you for this later," he said with a smirk.

She looked over at him questioningly and walked over to his desk where he now sat reorganizing, placing her hands on his shoulders and leaning down so that her lips were now brushing up against his ear.

"Is that a threat or a promise?" she whispered seductively, sending a chill up his spine. She patted his shoulders lightly before turning to exit the office, leaving one dazed and confused Danny to sit at his desk and ponder what had just happened.

-----------

After being picked up in the front of the crime lab by Flack that morning, Bailey had taken over the poor man's life for the remainder of the day. They had been to at least a dozen stores trying to find exactly what the little girl wanted to set up the perfect night in for the two oblivious adults in her life, all she needed was Don's car and credit card. After four hours of shopping, she had carefully selected everything from the plastic wine glasses, the grape Juicy Juice, the frozen pizzas, and the candles. The little girl's determination to make the "date night" perfect had Don chuckling the whole way home, her pigtails bobbing in the rearview mirror as she munched on her chicken nuggets from McDonald's.

"So, do you think they love each other Uncle Flack?"

"I don't know sweetheart. But I know they both love you very much, and they're going to love the little surprise you planned for them," he replied with a laugh, knowing it was bad to lie to a four year old, but knowing she wouldn't understand what he knew deep down.

"I hope so," she said with a sigh. "Danny's really nice, and he makes my mommy happy. Maybe one day he could be my daddy."

Her maturity level shocked the young detective. For someone so young, she sure was smart for her age. The remainder of the car ride was silent, the wheels in both of their heads turning as they imagined what would happen when they got home that night.

-----------

Around six o'clock, Lindsay awoke, her head lying on her desk. She had passed out. Glancing at the clock, she realized it had been for two hours. How had she let this happen? She smoothed out her hair and clothes, and glared as she realized that the stack of paperwork was still stacked a quarter of the way of what it had been previously. She hadn't accomplished what she had wanted, meaning she would have to take her work home with her once again. As she began to gather her things to pack up and leave, she felt a buzzing in her pocket and remembered how she had stolen Danny's phone earlier, laughing at their conversation. She expected the buzzing to stop after one, telling her it was a text message, but instead, it kept buzzing. Someone was calling Danny. She pulled the phone out of her pocket, _Call From Flackie _displayed on the screen. She laughed as she read the name; she'd give him crap for it later.

"Hey Flackie," she said in a singsong voice, answering the phone.

"Lindsay? What the hell you doin' answerin' Danno's phone?" he asked confused.

"Long story, we switched phones for the day, what's up?"

"Umm, see, I was kinda hopin' Danny would answer, he'd probably handle this better, but I guess I can tell you." The worry in his voice scared her. He was, after all, watching her little girl. She began jumping to conclusions.

"What happened to Bailey, Flack? Is my little girl okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, Bailey's fine Linds, but uh…your tv's not."

She let out a sigh of relief hearing that her daughter was okay, but the fact that her television was in distress made her skeptical. What were they doing back at her apartment? And more importantly, what the hell could they have been doing to break the tv?

"Don, what the hell did you do to my tv?"

"Uhh, I think you should just come here and see for yourself, kinda hard to explain. But you should come home now, I don't wanna break it anymore than I have."

She threw her head back and rubbed her eyes. She already had a load of work to take home and a four year old to take care of, she didn't need any more problems in her life.

"I'm on my way Don, try not to break anything else."

As Don hung up the phone, Bailey let out all the giggles she had been holding in.

"You told her we broke the tv?!" the little girl squealed.

"Yeah, I couldn't think of anything else, you got any better ideas?" he scoffed back.

"I guess not," she sighed in defeat. "So do I get to call Danny now?"

"Sure kiddo, have at it," he laughed as he handed her the phone.

"Hey Danny, it's me Bailey!" she said excitedly as soon as the man had answered on the other line.

"Hey kiddo, what's up?"

"I need your help with somefing."

"Anything ya need, kiddo."

"Cool. But you can't tell my mommy, okay?"

"Alright, promise," he said, growing a bit skeptical.

"Me and Uncle Flack broke the tv, could you come over and fix it before my mommy gets home?"

At first he was shocked, and then he couldn't help but laugh. He began to imagine the television set in Lindsay's apartment toppled over with wires hanging out, Don trying to put them back together and Bailey standing over to the side laughing at him.

"No problem kiddo, I'll be over there as soon as I can."

"Thanks Danny, you're the best," she replied before hanging up.

"So, what'd he say?" Don questioned, although he had heard the entire conversation.

"He's coming!" Bailey exclaimed satisfied.

"Awesome. We'd better get this all fixed up then, huh?"

Together, they set to work fixing up the kitchen.

-----------

Danny and Lindsay pulled up to the apartment complex at the same time, both curious as to what exactly was going on as they swapped stories. The rode the elevator up in silence, both pondering what exactly was going on in the apartment, fearful thoughts running through both of their minds. As Lindsay put the key in the lock and opened the door, the scene set out in front of them was not at all what either of them were expecting. Their little girl stood in front of them wearing one of her Disney Princess dresses, holding two paper menus that she had clearly made on her own with her crayons and construction paper. They looked at each other, and then at Flack who was standing across the room with a smirk on his face, pointing at Bailey, mouthing "It was all her".

"Good ebening sir, ma'am. Would you like a menu?" Bailey said in the most grown up voice she could muster.

Laughing, they looked back at each other. What had they gotten themselves into?


	16. Chapter 16

**next chapter, yay !  
haha. again, thanks for all the reviews guys, i really appreciate them  
ive decided to go with the once a week idea.. well, im going to TRY to get a new chapter up once a week anyway. but you only have to wait 6 days this time because, as you all will notice, today is not wednesday, its thursday. i went to go see transformers last night and didnt get back until around one this morning, so i couldnt finish the little bit of the chapter i had started.  
anyway, enough of my blabbing, on with date night !**

also, this chapter is dedicated to jude ! (: i hope you and your family feel better kiddo, youre in my prayers !****

enjoy (:  
--mtc.

Chapter 16

"Let me show you to your table."

"Bailey, sweetheart, what's going on?" Lindsay asked her daughter as the little girl grabbed both she and Danny by the hand and dragged them towards the table.

"I think you know," she replied, turning to face them and wiggling her eyebrows at them, causing them to giggle. She gestured at the kitchen table, urging them to sit.

"Come on, what can it hurt?" Danny asked as he pulled Lindsay's chair out for her. "Here you are madam," he said, playing along with Bailey's little game, causing the little girl's face to brighten with a warm smile. As he took his own seat, he admired the hard work his daughter had done in order to prepare for their "date". The table was expertly decorated, Finding Nemo paper plates and all. He and Lindsay shared a giggle at the plates and napkins that were covered with Bailey's favorite movie character, and how they completely clashed with the plastic champagne glasses she had set out next to it, but they both knew it was the thought that counted. The little girl stood in between their chairs, standing on tiptoes in her Tinkerbelle dress-up high heels, trying to appear taller than she actually was.

"Welcome to the Bailey and Flackie Café," she said proudly. "My name is Bailey. I will be your waistress tonight. Would you like to see a menu?"

They gazed at each other across the table, sharing a smile and trying not to laugh. "We would love to see a menu, thank you," Lindsay replied as she took the pink and blue menus from her daughter's hands, passing one to Danny and keeping the other for herself, stifling a laugh as she noticed that the "e" in menu was written backwards.

"Mmm, it all sounds so good, I don't know what to pick," Danny said overenthusiastically, receiving a laugh from Flack. "Pizza, pizza, and pizza. I don't know Linds, this is going to be a hard choice."

"Danny, it's only pizza, you don't get a choice," Bailey whispered into his ear trying to be inconspicuous. He could only smile and nod in response.

"Can I get you drinks first?" she asked them, returning to her "waistress" position.

"Sure, sounds good. What'll ya have, Linds?"

"Hmm, I think the wine sounds good," she played along.

"I'll be right back," Bailey replied excitedly, taking the glasses with her. They watched in silence as their daughter walked behind the kitchen counter, Don lifting her up so she was no perched on the linoleum, helping her pour the grape juice into the glasses, and spotting her as she carried them back to the table.

"Here you are," she said as she placed the glasses in front of them. "Do you know what you want to eat yet?" As she finished the question, her eyes darted to Danny, winking in response to his earlier observation that there was indeed only one item on the menu.

"Well, it was a tough decision munchkin, but I think we're gonna go with the pizza."

"Sounds good," she replied, taking the menus from their grasps. "It'll be about…" she glanced over her shoulder at Flack, pointing to the spot on her wrist where a watch would be.

"15 minutes kiddo," he whispered back.

"15 minutes. So you can talk if you wanna. Or not. You can just abmire each other's company."

They laughed silently between themselves, watching as she--with the assistance of Don once again--put the frozen pizza in the oven and set the timer. The lights had been dimmed, and two, deep red candles placed in the center of the table. The way her face caught the candle light, the way her eyes sparkled back at him, made him almost melt at her feet. She was absolutely beautiful.

"So, is everything okay here?" Bailey asked returning from the kitchen, hands placed on her hips.

"Mmm, delicious," Danny replied, taking an over exaggerated gulp from his "wine" glass, leaving a purple stain on his lips. The little girl scampered back into the kitchen where Don was standing and beckoned for him to bend down. Danny and Lindsay saw their friend glance over, smile, and then share a laugh with the little girl.

"What're they sayin'?" Danny asked as he saw that Lindsay was partaking in the laughter.

"Danny's gotta purple mustache," she singsonged as he stuck his tongue out at her. "Don't worry, I'll get rid of it as soon as we get rid of them," she whispered, her voice solely audible to him. He wiggled his eyebrows at her, causing her to giggle and blush in response. Almost as if on cue, the timer for the oven went off. Bailey jumped excitedly as Don covered his hands with oven mitts and pulled the pizza out of the oven. They made their way back towards the table, Bailey carrying a cooling rack and a pizza cutter while Flack carried the pizza, a stupid grin on his face like he was trying to hide his laughter. As soon as he placed the pizza in the middle of the table, they figured out why.

Somehow, someway, the conniving duo had carved the pizza into the shape of a heart. Danny and Lindsay didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or just stare at it in shock. They finally understood what this whole thing was about. She had set them up. Their four year old little girl had corrupted their schedules and taken their friend hostage for the day to set them up. It was cute, they had to admit, but where in the hell she had gotten the idea was still a hopeless mystery to them. Looking down, they saw their daughter was staring up at them wide-eyed, looking for approval, her eyes shifting from parent to parent waiting for an answer.

"It looks delicious honey," Lindsay finally said enthusiastically, cutting a triangle out for Danny first, and then herself, smiling as she saw her daughter's face light up at her appreciation.

"Definitely the tastiest lookin' pizza I've ever seen," Danny agreed smiling down at his little girl.

"Thanks! It's a heart. For _loooove_," she gushed as she wiggled her eyebrows at the pair, both trying to contain their giggles, as was Flack.

"Hey Bay, why don't we leave these two alone to enjoy their dinner in peace, huh? We'll go play a game in your room or somethin'," Flack said as he picked the little girl up and put her on his shoulders.

"Yeah, we'll leave you two alone," she said wiggling her eyebrows once again.

"Let's go monkey," Flack said with a laugh.

As soon as Flack and Bailey were out of the room, Danny and Lindsay erupted in laughter, tears flowing out of both of their eyes as they laughed excessively. Once they had calmed down, their eyes settled into each others as he reached across the table and grabbed her hand with his, stroking the back of her hand gently with his thumb. With his free hand, he reached across and tucked a loose curl behind her ear, causing her to blush.

"You're beautiful, ya know that?" This statement only made her blush more, but rather than looking away from him like she had previously, she smiled sweetly, causing his cheeks to turn red as well.

"Looks like we've been set up Messer."

"Yeah, looks like it. Why didn't you tell my our kid was this smart?"

She laughed. "I knew she was smart, but not witty enough to pull off a shindig like this."

"Well, I say since she was being so considerate, we take full advantage. Food looks edible. Looks like Flack was smart and bought the frozen kind," he said with a chuckle.

"I have a feeling if they would have tried to cook us a meal, it would either end up being Easy Mac or peanut butter and jelly."

"I'm not protestin', PB&J was my favorite when I was her age."

"Really now? I never pegged you as the PB&J type, Daniel Messer," she said with one eyebrow quirked.

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me Montana."

He felt her foot slide to his own, and then slowly, she rubbed it up and down his leg, causing a chill to shoot through his spine. He smiled up at her as he admired her beauty; they way her curls shined in the candlelight, the twinkle in her eyes when she smiled, the softness of her skin when his palm touched hers. Everything about her was perfect. He scooted his chair closer into the table so he could be closer to her. He didn't care if the corner of the table was jutting into his gut, he just wanted to be with her. As they gazed into each others eyes, it was as if the rest of the room just melted away with the candle wax. They were the only two people in the world, and nothing would be able to ruin the moments they were sharing. They were so lost in each others eyes that they were completely oblivious to the other two people in the house. Flack and Bailey had silently crept down the hallway and were looking on as their date progressed.

"Uncle Flack, they're holding hands, they're holding hands!" she whispered excitedly. She covered her mouth with her hands to stifle her giggles as she looked up at her uncle who had his finger over is mouth, signaling that she should be quiet before they were caught. She nodded in response, and turned her attention back to her parents, both still sitting at the table with goofy lover smiles plastered on both of their faces. She grinned at Flack who was squatting down next to her, with the little girl partially seated on his knee.

"I think we should get back to our game, kiddo. I don't think they'd like us eavesdropping."

"Ebesdropping on what? They're not even talking, they're just staring at each other like Lady and the Tramp," she replied quite seriously. Her statement caused Flack to scoop her up in his arms and wisk her away down the hall in one swift motion, trying to stop himself from erupting in laughter, at least until they got back to her room.

They took their place back on the floor, returning to their game of CandyLand, which Flack was desperately losing. Bailey's green piece was far more ahead on the board than his yellow piece, and despite his countless attempts to fix the deck in his favor, he somehow always ended up pulling the Mr. Mint card, sending him virtually all the way back to the beginning of the game.

"So, whaddya say we put this game away and pick another one?" he asked hopefully.

"Uncle Flack, stop being such a sore loser," she replied, rolling her eyes in his direction.

"Fine, fine, but I'm just tellin' ya now, I _let _you beat me, end of story."

"Sure," she said with another roll of her eyes. "So do you think they're gonna get married?"

"Who?" he asked with a disappointed look as he pulled a purple card, only bringing him one square ahead of where he was previously.

"My mommy and Danny."

"I don't know kiddo, you've gotta give them time."

"How much more time? If we play another game, will that be enough time?"

"Not exactly Bay. It takes time to fall in love with someone and decide to get married. It's not just a spur of the moment decision, they've gotta get to know each other again, date a little more. You don't even know if they're gonna start a relationship after tonight. You've just gotta see how things play out."

"Oh, I _know _they're going to," she told him matter-of-factly. "Did you see them in there Uncle Flack? They love each other, trust me." The look on her face was complete seriousness, he tried not to laugh too loudly as she turned her attention to the deck of cards, slamming down the green card that brought her to the rainbow square at the end of the game.

"HA! I beat you!" she enthused, jumping up and sticking her tongue out at him.

"All right, all right, you beat me this time kid, but I promise you won't win this next game."

"Oh yeah? What game did you have in mind?"

He slowly edged towards her on his knees slyly, extending his arms as he shouted, "TICKLE FIGHT!", tickling the little girls belly and sending her into a rage of giggles.

"Uncle Flack, cut it out!" she screamed in between giggles.

"What was that Bay. I can't hear you?" he teased her as he continued attacking her.

"Please! I can't breathe!" she laughed as his hands tickled her belly.

As they continued their tickle fest down the hall from the kitchen, Danny and Lindsay were enjoying their date, but enjoying the company of one another more than anything.

"Hey, at least they didn't burn the pizza," Danny joked, taking his third slice off the pan.

"This is true," Lindsay replied in between her own bites. "Do you remember the night when we went over to Flack's and he tried to cook for us and Jess, but we ended up having to call the fire department because he started the microwave on fire?"

"How could I forget?" Danny laughed as he reminisced on the old days. "We ended up orderin' take out and you girls made us watch Grey's Anatomy."

"Don't even complain Messer, you enjoyed it," she laughed, shooting him a look.

"I only enjoyed starin' at Katherine Heigl for an hour. Chick's gotta bod," he said, trying to get a rise out of her and smirking when he did. "But she's got nothin' on you Montana. You can throw a million tall, lanky blondes at me, and you're the one I'd come runnin' back to every time."

She blushed in response to his words; she really didn't know what to say. It had been so long since they had really been together alone, despite the fact that their daughter and co-worker were in the next room, but given the circumstances, it was perfect. The food, the candle light, the man sitting across from her making her feel safe. It was all she needed. And to think that their daughter had been the mastermind behind the entire operation made it that much more special. She saw what they had between them and she wanted to give them the night together; that to Lindsay was more than she could ask for from anyone. She reached across the table and stroked his cheek lovingly, his skin so smooth to her touch. He reached up and took her hand in his own, kissing her fingers lightly.

"I love you," she whispered softly.

"I love you too," he replied with a sweet smile. "And I love our daughter, with all of my heart."

She returned his smile, and they continued staring into each other's gazes for a time, neither wanting to break the stare, neither wanting to break the moment. Eventually, Danny glanced at the watch on his wrist, noting that it was almost nine o'clock. They had been there for longer than they had expected, and they both knew that Bailey had to get to bed soon. He smiled up at her with a sad look in his eyes, like a child who's parents were making him leave Chuck E. Cheese's before he was ready to go, and Lindsay was the pinball machine they were going to have to tear him off of. He didn't want to go, he had more tokens to spend, and he would play until they were all used up; he wanted to try and score as many tickets as possible. When it came to Lindsay, his winning tickets were whenever she smiled, whenever she giggle at him in an almost child-like innocence, the smell of her sweet perfume that lingered on his clothing after they had spent the day together making him want to keep his clothes dirty for weeks on end rather than washing them. As much as they both wanted to sit at that table until the candles had melted past the wax, their night had to end. They both stood sadly, Lindsay calling down the hall for Flack and Bailey to come back into the kitchen.

"Is it safe to come in?" Flack asked, his eyes squinted and one of his hands over Bailey's as he carried the child down the hall.

"Shut up Don, it's not like you haven't seen it before," Danny joked as his friend opened his eyes and passed the little girl off to Danny, a yawn escaping her lips as she rubbed her eyes.

"All ready for bed I see?" he asked her as he noticed that she was already in her pajamas, a Barbie nightgown that night.

"Little one was gettin' tired but she wanted to say goodnight to mommy and Danny."

"I gotta take off kiddo, but I wanted to thank you for the amazing dinner. Who do I write the check out to?"

"You don't have to pay Danny, it was a pretend restaurant, remember?" she joked.

"Alright, how's about I pay with this?" he asked, kissing her cheek. "Or this?" kissing the other cheek, causing the little girl to giggle.

"I guess that works," she laughed in between his kisses.

"Good. Well, I'll see you later kiddo. Sleep well, and don't be afraid to call me for anything okay?"

"Night Danny, thanks for coming over. Sorry I lied about the tv being broken."

"Ahh it's okay, I got pizza out of it," he laughed.

"Alright kiddo, off to bed," Lindsay said, interrupting their kiss-fest. "Say goodnight to Uncle Donnie."

"Night Uncle Sore-Loser," she singsonged as she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Night princess, I'll see ya later," he laughed as he placed a kiss to her forehead, tapping her back lightly as she scampered down the hall.

"I'll be in in a minute to tuck you in," Lindsay called down the hall. "Thanks for everything Don," she whispered as she pulled the man into a hug.

"No problem Linds. I hope you had a good time. I'll let you two say goodbye," he said wiggling his eyebrows at the pair. "See you back at home, Danno." He patted Danny on the back and exited the apartment.

They were now alone in the foyer, standing inches away from each other. He pulled her into a tight embrace, wrapping his strong arms around her as she wrapped her small arms around his waist. She laid her head into his chest, breathing in the scent of his cologne and simply enjoying the comfort of being in his arms. After a few moments of relaxing into one another's embrace, Danny placed a gentle kiss to her head.

"I had a really great time tonight," he whispered softly into her ear.

"Me too," she whispered back, placing a kiss to his chest.

"I'll see you at work tomorrow, 'kay?"

"Danny, you don't have to go, you can sleep here. I'm not kicking you out."

He smiled at her sadly and brought his hand up to her face, stroking her cheek gently.

"I know you're not, but I don't wanna confuse Bailey. Give her some time to get used to the idea. I don't wanna pressure you guys into anything." He placed another kiss to her forehead. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Not so fast cowboy," she said as he was about to leave. She pulled his face down to hers, his lips crashing onto her own as she pulled him closer in for a fiery kiss. They lingered there for a moment or two before he pulled away, a drunken gaze in his eyes as he tried to regain his balance again. She had literally sucked the breath right out of him.

"What was 'at for Montana?"

She gazed up at him seductively. "I said I'd get rid of that grape mustache, didn't I?"

He quirked an eyebrow before pulling her lips to his again, kissing her passionately as her hands wrapped behind his head, her fingers entwined in his short hair. His lips tasted so sweet against her own, the taste of the grape juice still lingering, causing her to laugh a little against his sweet kiss. He moved his lips from hers to her cheek, placing a lingering kiss on her soft skin before moving to her ear, as he somberly whispered, "I gotta go."

She smiled sadly but sweetly at him as he widened the gap between them, his arms nonetheless still clutching her arms.

"I'll text you, kay? Get some sleep Montana, I'll see you in the morning." He placed one last lingering kiss to her cheek, pulled her into a short hug and smiled as he walked out the door. She sighed as the door clicked shut, walking over to lock and deadbolt it before she tidied up the kitchen. Before she had even made it to the door, her pocket began to vibrate.

_Eager much, Cowboy? _She thought as she laughed to herself. Pulling out her phone, she smiled hugely, reading the name on display.

_Text Message From Daddy :]_

_I love you Mommy :] _

_Sweet dreams, I'll call you in the morning._

_Love, _

_Your Cowboy._

"Danny Messer, I never pictured you as the sentimental type," she said into the unresponsive night. She texted him back and shut the lights off in the kitchen, figuring she'd deal with the mess in the morning.

-----------

As he was about to hop back onto his Harley, Danny felt his pocket vibrating. Smiling, he reached for his phone, reading _Text From Montana :]_, and smiling down at the screen.

_I love you too, Cowboy :]_

_Looking forward to your call._

_Montana._

He closed his phone, the picture of he, Lindsay, and Bailey smiling up at him from the background, rubbing his thumb across the picture and smiling beforereturning the device to his pocket. He started up his bike and rode off into the night, a goofy smile plastered across his face. When he got back to Flack's apartment, his friend was sitting on the couch in his pajamas watching the Yankees game, his head turning to face Danny as soon as the door had opened.

"Did you really wait up for me dad?" the blonde man joked as he draped his leather jacket across the back of the couch.

"So, did you have a good time?"

He could only smile in response as he took a seat next to his friend, propping his hands behind his head as he continued to smile up into the ceiling.

"I'll take that as a yes," Flack responded with a laugh, turning the volume on the television up. They watched the game in silence for a while before Danny began to speak.

"I love her Flack, heart and soul. She's all I'll ever need, I know it. Just looking into her eyes tonight made me realize I don't need anything else in life but her and our little girl."

"Danny Messer, are you turning into a Hallmark movie on me?" his friend joked. "Here, have a beer while I go find you something appropriate to watch."

Danny laughed as he grabbed a beer out of his friend's hand, chuckling as he switched the channel to MANSwers instead of the baseball game.

"Seriously Flack, I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

"I know Danno I know. Just take it slow okay? I don't want you screwin' this up any more than you do."

He smiled in response as he turned back towards the television. Although his eyes were focused on the tv, his mind was focused on Lindsay and his little girl. He settled back into the leather couch as he began to reminisce on all the good times they had had over the past few months. His thoughts were interrupted by his friend's laughter. Turning his head, he chuckled.

"What?"

"Nothin'. You just look funny sittin' over there with that stupid smile on your face."

Danny laughed back at him. "You're just jealous," he replied, sticking his tongue out.

"How old are you Danno, five?" he chuckled.

"Whatever Don, she's my everything," he replied. "And I'm not gonna let her go this time."

-----------

**Next Week, in Come Back to Me:**

_They made their way into the crime lab that way, hands intertwined, smiles present on both of their faces. They wanted people to know they were back together._

--

**_"Hey Monroe."_**

As Lindsay turned around, she realized who had been following her.

She was staring into the face of a very angry looking Cameron Burke.

This was not going to turn out well.  


**--  
**

**for the record, i felt like a complete idiot typing out "next week in cbtm" (:**


	17. Chapter 17

**new chapter yay !**

**hahah. once again, thank you all SOOO much for your awesome reviews ! at the end of the day, theyre what really keep me goin; ya'll really don't understand how much i appreciate it :)**

**so even though it's like 3 oclock in the morning, it's technically wednesday :P**

**i couldnt hold off, i hate making people wait ! so here it is.**

**r&r, its much appreciated :)**

**enjoy (:**

**--mtc.**

Chapter 17

Danny had hardly gotten a wink of sleep.

After Don had gone to bed, around 11:30 the previous night, Danny had stayed awake, watching random programs on television, reading random blogs on the internet, playing Mario Kart on Flack's Wii, anything he could find that would keep him busy. Ever since he had left Lindsay's apartment, he had been on what he called a "Montana High"; he was so overly excited from the night he had spent with his girls that there was no way for him to sleep. He tried sleeping pills, making warm milk like his mother would when he was Bailey's age, and he even at one point reduced himself to counting sheep. Absolutely nothing worked. The pills seemed to evaporate in his bloodstream, the milk only scalded his throat and woke him up more, and the sheep eventually turned into Lindsays; he would laugh as her teenage, country image filled his thoughts, her hair in braided pigtails, a cowgirl hat atop her head, her sweet smile as she waved back at him. He was slowly losing his mind.

As he sat cross-legged on the floor, clad in only boxers, a plastic steering wheel clutched in his hands, he began to see visions in the characters on the television screen in front of him. Princess Peach quickly traded in her Barbie-blonde hair and pink dress for light brown curls and a sexy outfit, causing Danny—Mario—to fall behind in the race. Lindsay on top of a motorcycle wearing a black cocktail dress was more than he could ever wish for in his wildest dreams. As his mind continued to play tricks on him, "Lindsay" winked at him before speeding off on the cartoon bike, leaving poor Danny distraught, gulping as he went from being in first place to ninth. Deciding that switching games would be his best bet, he swapped Mario Kart out for Wii Sports, unplugging the game system altogether when he saw Lindsay in the faces of every opponent he faced. He tried reading internet blogs, failing when he came across one titled "Wheatfields of Montana". He tried distracting himself with basic television, chuckling and shutting it off as Speed Racer's Mach 5 sped across the screen. Around six thirty that morning, his body finally gave in to his dire need for sleep, only to be woken an hour later by his cell phone alarm, telling him that it was time to get ready for work. At first, he sighed, realizing what a long day it was going to be on only one hour of sleep, but as soon as he realized that he would soon be seeing his girls again, all of his bad thoughts about the day disappeared. He remembered his promise to call Lindsay, but knowing that she usually didn't wake up until around eight thirty, he busied himself showering and such, getting ready for the day. After a shower, shave, breakfast and brushing his teeth, he flipped open his phone, ready to hit her speed dial and hear her voice again. His wishful thinking was quickly shot down as he realized he had rushed through his morning routine in the heat of things. The clock on his phone read 7:59. He poured himself a cup of much needed coffee as he watched time slowly tick by, not noticing when Don stepped into the kitchen.

"What time'd ya go to bed last night, Mess?"

"Around 6:30," he grinned back at his friend, who returned a look of shamefulness.

"Danno, do you realize how tired you're gonna be come your shift? How old are you, 17? The last time I stayed up that late was because I was crammin' for exams in college."

"Oh really? Cause the last time I did that was when me and Lindsay first started dating—"

"Don't need to hear anymore," Don interjected, his hands held up in the air as if he were trying to prevent the words from entering his ears. "But seriously, what the hell were you doing til 6:30 this morning?" he asked his tired looking friend as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Tryin' to get Lindsay offa my mind," he said as he half grinned back at his friend. "I'm tellin' ya Flack, it was hard. But eventually I got tired out, crashed for an hour. I honestly don't know how I made it through four years without her."

"All that matters is that you're here for her now," Flack replied. "Give her a call, tell her good morning, see if she wants a ride to work."

"I was already plannin' on it," Danny responded. "I don't think she's up yet though. I don't wanna wake her up."

The vibrations of his cell phone proved him wrong. A childlike smile appeared on his face as he read "Montana :P" on the screen of his phone.

"Morning Montana," he answered, smiling.

"Morning babe," she whispered back with a hint of sleep still lingering in her voice.

He laughed at the sleepiness in her voice. Had she gotten the same amount of "sleep" that he had? "Did you sleep well?"

"I wouldn't exactly say I got sleep, per say," she confessed through another yawn.

"Really?" Danny asked with a chuckle. "And why is that?"

"I was up thinkin' about you," she admitted. She could hear his huge smile through the telephone.

"Well what a coincidence," he laughed. "I was up thinkin' about you too. Guess we can keep each other up half the night even when we don't share the same bed." He let her giggle before continuing. "Whaddya say about goin' for coffee before work?"

"Right now, that sounds amazing," she laughed, yawning once again. "I've gotta take Bailey to her check up first, would you like to join us?" She knew what his answer would be before the question passed her lips, and she couldn't help but giggle at the excitement in his voice.

"Definitely, I'll be right over."

"Sounds good Cowboy. See you soon?"

"You can count on it." He hung up his cell phone and was on his way out the door before Flack could so much as ask him where he was going.

-----------

"Hey cutie," Danny said as Bailey opened the door to the Monroe apartment.

"Hi Danny!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his muscular frame, a smile spreading across his face as her tiny arms gripped his own.

"You ready for your check up?"

"I guess," she replied with a sigh. "I think I hate the hopstickle now. I just got out of there, I don't wanna go back."

"Don't worry kiddo, it's just a check up," he chuckled. "You'll be outta there in no time."

"Good," she said, a huge sigh of relief washing over her face. Lindsay laughed as she came up behind her daughter, placing a hand on her little girl's tiny shoulders.

"Sweetie, why don't you go brush your teeth?"

"Okay," she said unenthusiastically, rolling her eyes as she dragged her feet down the hallway towards her bathroom.

As soon as she was clearly down the hall and out of sight, Lindsay pulled Danny into a fiery kiss, their lips crashing together passionately. After a few moments of their lips lingering there, Lindsay pulled away, a huge smile on her face as she stared into Danny's glazed over eyes, the intensity of her kiss shocking him a bit as he tried to steady himself again.

"I missed you too, Montana," he chuckled, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

She giggled lightly at his reaction, pulling him down for one more quick peck before she heard the water in Bailey's bathroom turn off, and the patter of the little girl's feet making her way back down the hallway.

"Ready to go baby girl?"

"Yep, let's hit the road!" she exclaimed, grabbing Danny's hand on her left and Lindsay's on her right, all three swinging arms as they made their way down the hall.

-----------

They had been sitting in the waiting room for a half hour; any longer and both mommy and daddy would be late for their shifts. Lindsay busied herself with a case file while Danny had picked up a copy of Sports Illustrated, Bailey reading the latest celebrity gossip out of Us magazine. The entire waiting room had been empty, except for the cozy family, only adding to the aggravation that was eating at Danny and Lindsay. As Danny caught up on the latest Yankees news, his reading was interrupted by his little girl's inquisitiveness.

"Danny, what's a whore?"

If his glasses hadn't been perched upon his nose, his eyes certainly would have bulged out of his head.

"Excuse me?"

"What's a whore? It says right here, 'Paris is a whore,'" she told him calmly, showing him the article she was attempting to reading. He quickly tore the book from her hands, nearly ripping the pages as it was pulled from her tiny grasp.

"Hey!" she half yelled.

"Sorry kiddo, you shouldn't be reading this, not for you," he stuttered, placing it at the bottom of the pile and handing her a Disney Channel magazine. "Read this, gain your innocence back," he muttered under his breath, letting out a sigh as Lindsay glanced over at him, smirking.

"What's going on over there?"

"I asked Danny what a whore was and he took my magazine from me without telling me!" Bailey interjected—quite loudly at that—before Danny could even open his mouth. Lindsay's smirk quickly turned to a look of sheer terror, her jaw dropping and her face turning bright red as Danny had his turn to smirk. "Will you tell me what a whore is mommy? Paris Hilton seems like a nice lady, does it mean she's nice?"

"Sure baby, let's go with that," Lindsay mumbled, not exactly paying attention to what her daughter was saying, as she was still trying to come to grips with the fact that her daughter had just asked her what a whore was.

"Well in that case, you're a whore mommy," she said sweetly, smiling innocently over at her mother.

Sitting next to her, Danny had doubled over in laughter, his face growing redder by the second, gaining stares from multiple people passing by in the hallway. Lindsay quickly ran over to her daughter, attempting to explain to her that the new word she had recently learned wasn't a nice one to use, while Danny had made friends with the floor, laughing harder than ever as he rolled around on the tile. As she continued to explain the nature of the word to her four year old, Lindsay extend a leg, making contact with Danny's side in an attempt to stop him from attracting more attention to himself.

"Bailey Monroe." A nurse entered the waiting room with a clipboard, quirking an eyebrow as she walked in on the scene.

Lindsay motioned for Danny to get up before she silenced his laughter with her foot, but she couldn't hide the laughter that was slowly creeping through her. They all stood up and began to follow the nurse, until Bailey turned around and stopped them in their tracks.

"I'm a big girl, mommy. I can do this myself." She had a brave look in her eyes as she dismissed her mother and Danny, the nurse reassuring them that she would be in good hands.

"Are you sure baby girl?"

"Absotutely," she replied confidently with a nod of her head.

"Well, I guess we'll be here when you're done then," Lindsay replied, smiling weakly as her little girl took the nurse's hand and the door closed behind them. She leaned into Danny who was standing close behind her, his strong hands wrapping around her petite frame as she sunk into his chest.

"When did she get so big?" Lindsay asked him, on the brink of tears.

"I don't know Linds. She's got her mother's determination to be independent."

"Remind me never to be independent again," Lindsay sniffled as Danny hugged her tight before taking her hand and leading her off down the hallway.

"Where are we going?"

"Well, I figure Bay's not gonna be done for another hour or so, why don't I take you for that coffee I promised you?"

She glanced up at him with a nervous look in her eye. "Danny, I don't like leaving her here alone."

"She's not alone, she's in a hospital, the doctors'll take good care of her. You've got nothin' to worry about," he reassured her, smiling sweetly.

-----------

They had barely touched the coffee. Their hands were intertwined across the table at the small café located on the main floor of the hospital. In the end, they had decided that they couldn't bear the thought of leaving their little girl alone in the hospital, in the end, mutually deciding that they would make the sacrifice and drink the crap-quality hospital coffee for now. He rubbed his thumb softly over her hand, her face turning a light red as she blushed.

"For the record, I don't think you're a whore," he said with a chuckle. With the hand that wasn't currently enveloped in his, she playfully slapped his arm and smiled back at him.

"Gee thanks Danny, it's nice to hear from you." He laughed in response.

"Lindsay, I wanna ask you something," he began nervously.

"Okay, shoot."

He stared down into the coffee cup in front of him, trying to avoid her curious gaze. "We've been spending a lot of time together, you know, and…and I really think we could be good together again. I mean, I've missed being with you so much, and—"

His words were silenced by the meeting of his lips with hers. She let her lips linger on his for a moment or two before pulling away and smiling sweetly at him. He smiled back at her, taking her hands in his and kissing them softly.

"So whaddya say Montana? Be my girl again?" he asked her with a hopeful grin.

"I never stopped being your girl, Danny. I'll always be yours," she answered with a schoolgirl grin. "I love you."

"I love you too. I promise we're gonna make this work."

Leaving the coffee cups, majority of the beverage still remaining, they walked hand in hand back to their daughter.

-----------

All of Bailey's tests had come back with flying colors, but the four year old was too smart to continue believing that that was what the adults in the front seat of the SUV were grinning idiotically about.

"What are you guys _really _so happy about?" she asked, crossing her arms as best she could over the seatbelt in her booster seat. Lindsay glanced at Danny.

"Should we tell her?" he whispered, grinning at his girlfriend.

"Uhh, DUH you should tell her!" Bailey exclaimed from the backseat.

As they pulled into the parking lot, Danny climbed around and lifted Bailey out of her carseat, placing her on his knee and putting his arm around Lindsay as she bent down next to them.

"Well kiddo, your mom and I, we decided that we didn't wanna be just friends anymore."

"You guys aren't gonna be friends anymore?!" she cried, a look of terror washing over her face.

"Calm down baby girl," Lindsay laughed. "We're not just friends anymore. Me and Danny decided we wanted to be more than friends."

"Like best friends? Like Spongebob and Patrick?"

"Not exactly," she laughed again. "Do you remember when we went to see Enchanted, how Giselle and Robert started out as friends in the beginning of the movie?" She waited for her daughter's nod of approval before continuing. "And then do you remember what happened in the end?"

The little girl's eyes turned towards the sky as she thought hard, placing her hand on her chin. Her eyes lit up as she realized what was going on. "You two are dating!" she exclaimed excitedly. The two adults smiled and nodded in response.

"If it's okay with you, baby. I don't want to do anything that makes you uncomfortable."

"Are you KIDDING?! Of COURSE I'm okay with it!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the both of them. "I knew my plan would work," she mumbled under her breath.

"What was that baby?"

"Nothing," she said, quickly changing the subject. "So does this mean Danny's gonna live with us?"

"Not exactly kiddo," Danny interjected. "We just started dating. Maybe once we've been dating for a little while I'll think about it, but for now I'll be stayin' at your Uncle Flack's apartment. I know this is all a little hard for you to understand, so if you have any questions at all, you know you can come to me."

"Are you guys gonna kiss and stuff?" she asked, scrunching up her face, earning a laugh from her parents.

"We promise we won't in front of you," Lindsay said with a laugh.

"Okay, good, cause kissing is gross. Boys have cooties. No offense or anything Danny."

They shared a laugh at the man as he pretended to be upset, and then realized that they were going to be late. Standing up, Bailey took her previous place between the two, taking a hand from each. Suddenly, she stopped. Getting a devious look in her eye, she took the to giant hands that she had been holding and joined them together, turning around to smirk before skipping ahead of them, humming the last song that had been on the radio. They looked to each other and then to their daughter, laughing before walking through the doors. They made their way into the crime lab that way, hands intertwined, smiles present on both of their faces. They wanted people to know they were back together. However, they weren't expecting their daughter to be running up and down the halls, telling every person that passed. They giggled as they saw her running from person to person, telling everyone in her path that her mother and Danny were together.

"Uncle Mac!" she exclaimed as the older man made his way down the hall.

"Hi princess, come to work with mommy today?"

"Yep. Guess what?!"

"I give up," he laughed, playing along with her little game.

"My mommy and Danny are DATING!" she shouted excitedly, many heads the lab turning, laughing as they realized what she was so excited about.

"Oh really?" Mac said, pretending to be surprised.

"Yeah, they're holding hands and everything! But don't worry; they said they won't kiss in front of us. I was glad about that part, kissing's gross!"

Mac couldn't help but laugh at the little girl bouncing around in front of him. As her parents approached, he realized that what she had said was entirely true.

"So I hear you two are _dating_," he said jokingly, trying to make Bailey laugh.

"You would be correct on that one," Danny said sheepishly, not wanting to make his boss angry.

"I hope you'll stick true to your word about not kissing in front of people. Bailey's right, kissing's gross," he said, sticking out his tongue jokingly as the little girl giggled.

"Aye aye Captain Mac," Danny joked, mock saluting as his boss gave him a "get to work" look.

Danny picked up Bailey, placed her on his shoulders, and bent down towards Lindsay, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Screw Mac, I'll kiss ya if I wanna."

"Eww!" the little girl screamed. "You're a liar, you're a liar!"

"Oh yeah?" Danny asked her, bringing her off his shoulders and balancing her on his hip, placing a kiss to her cheek. "Is that gross?"

"Yes!" she joked.

"How about this?" he asked, kissing her multiple times as her giggles filled the lab. He placed her back on the ground, escorting her to Lindsay's office as they started the day at work.

-----------

Lindsay's day couldn't have been going better. On top of Bailey's test results coming back good and she and Danny reconciling, she had finally gotten a lead on a case she'd been working on for the past week, and as she rushed off to DNA, she began to think that nothing could ruin her day. Until, that is, she began to hear footsteps behind her. Angry footstep whose pace was quickening. She tried to ignore them, but as the voice that belonged to the angry feet began to speak, she found it hard to.

"Hey Monroe."

As Lindsay turned around, she realized who had been following her.

She was staring into the face of a very angry looking Cameron Burke.

This was not going to turn out well.

"Hey Cam, you caught me at a bad time, could this wait?"

"No, actually, it can't," he replied sternly, gripping her shoulder harshly and whipping her around. Her stare grew icy as she looked him in the eye.

"Okay, what do you want?"

"You wanna tell me why the hell you tried to pass off your kid as mine?"

"Cam, we've already had this discussion—"

"No Linds, we haven't. You giving me some lame ass excuse at the hospital isn't 'having this discussion'. You lied, Lindsay. You told that fucker that I was Bailey's father. You used me for your own selfish needs, and then you kicked me to the fucking curb."

Tears were welling up in her eyes by this point. But Cameron didn't seem to notice, or care. He continued harassing her in the middle of the hallway.

"What I still can't believe is that you actually took him back. I mean, do you even remember what he did to you? He left you Lindsay. He LEFT. He left you, on your own, with a kid, for FOUR YEARS, and you just fucking take him back? I've been there for you since the day I met you. Time and time again I've tried to prove myself to you, and this is the thanks I get? I really don't get it Lindsay. Would you like to explain it to me, because I'm still in the dark here."

She honestly didn't know what to say. The tears were free flowing from her eyes and she was staring down at her feet.

"I-I'm sorry Cam, I never…never meant to hurt you like this—"

"Like hell you didn't," he yelled in response. Little did he know, Danny was just around the corner. The intensity in his voice made the young detective's ears perk, but he could sense that something besides the raised voices in the lab was wrong. Lindsay was in trouble. He could feel it. He immediately rerouted, following the sound of the argument, his pace quickening as he rounded the corner, realizing his fears were true: the bastard was yelling at his girl. It only angered him more to see that his hands were forcibly pushing down into her shoulders. He wasn't going to stand for this. He grabbed the man by the shoulder, much like he had done earlier to the petite woman not ten minutes previous.

"Hey Burke, you wanna explain to me what your hands are doing on her?" he asked the man harshly.

"Well Messer, let's just say your girlfriend here deserves way more than what I'm dishing out to her."

Wrong move, Danny thought.

Before he could finish his thought, Cameron felt his body being forced against the wall behind him.

"If you EVER come near Lindsay or her daughter again, so help me GOD, I will tear you to pieces! You keep your dirty hands off of her, and you get the fuck out of her face." He could see the fear in the man's face, the blood rushing to his head as he struggled to keep from screaming like a little girl. Cameron slowly nodded, hoping the movement wouldn't make the man who was currently pinning him against the wall angry.

"Good. Now, get the fuck out of my face before I get my hands on you again. You deserved way more than what I just dished out to you," he repeated the man's earlier words as he pointed down the hallway, directing him away from where he and Lindsay now stood. As soon as Cameron had sprinted around the corner crying, Danny pulled Lindsay into a tight hug, wrapping his arms protectively around her.

"Shh, shh, I've got you Linds," he whispered reassuringly into her ear as she cried against his chest. "I've got you know Lindsay, no one's ever going to hurt you, I promise."

They stood in the middle of the hallway, Danny's arms never moving except to tighten the grip around her, making sure no other man could harm her. He was her protector, he would never let anything happen to either of his girls as long as he was living and breathing.

---

**next week in Come Back to Me...**

**_As he finished off Bailey's bedtime story, the little girl smiled up at him._**

**_"Since you're dating my mommy, does that mean you're gonna get married?"_**

**_He smiled sweetly back at her. "I don't know kiddo. We'll just have to see how things go."_**

**_"I hope it does," she replied with a sigh. "If you guys got married, that would make you my daddy, and then I would be the happiest girl in the whole entire universe."_**

**_--_**

**_"Danny, I think it's time we tell Bailey the truth._**

**_--_**

**_;)_**


	18. Chapter 18

**sorry for the double post !**

**hey all ! (:  
yes, i KNOW it's thursday, and 3 oclock at that, but my internet was down yesterday, and then when i went to go post today, someone had deleted all my files :(  
i had to retype the entire thing, hope it's almost as good as what it was yesterday !**

**again, thanks so much for all the reviews and support !  
i didn't think this story was going to get as many readers as it has, this means so much to me.**

**anyway, here's the next chapter.**

**enjoy (:  
--mtc.**

Chapter 18

He waited for her to settle down. Lindsay had been shaking in his arms for the past fifteen minutes. Not crying, like he had expected her to.

Shaking.

He just held her tighter and placed soft kisses to the top of her head, hoping it would calm her down. It killed him inside to feel the constant trembling of her body against his own; this bastard had hurt her, and he sure as hell wasn't going to get away with it. Once Danny had his girls safe at home, he would give Cameron what he really deserved. As numerous workers from the lab passed by, all giving them strange looks, he just glared back, warning people to mind their own business or they would have to deal with the wrath that was already pooling inside him. After Lindsay's shudders had dissipated, he wrapped an arm protectively around her shoulder and began to walk her down the hall towards her office, both of them completely silent the entire way. He dropped Lindsay at her office, Bailey immediately sensing that there was something wrong as she ran to her mother's arms.

"What's wrong mommy? Why do you look so sad?" the little girl asked with a look of concern spreading throughout her face.

"Everything's fine sweetie, mommy just doesn't feel good. Danny's going to take us home," she told her daughter, giving her a weak smile.

"Everything's gonna be okay kiddo," Danny said as the little girl peeked over Lindsay's shoulder, looking to him for reassurance. "Why don't you come with me to see Uncle Mac? I've gotta tell him we're takin' your mommy home, I'm sure he'd love to see you before you go." He knew Lindsay didn't want her daughter to see her like that, so he figured he would save them all the trouble and limit Bailey's contact with Lindsay while she was breaking down in her office.

The little girl shrugged sadly, sighed, and nodded sadly as she hugged her mother one last time before walking over to Danny.

"I guess," she mumbled with a sigh, taking Danny's hand instantly as they made their way down the hall.

They entered Mac's office, the man already sensing that something was wrong as he noticed the looks on both Danny and Bailey's faces. Danny quietly explained to Mac that Lindsay wasn't feeling well, that he would explain fully later, but they had to get out of the office, stressing that he would pull as many double shifts and take as much overtime as it was necessary to make up for all the time he and Lindsay had lost over the past weeks. Mac just nodded in response, knowing that whatever was going on, Danny would take care of it in the proper way. He knew how much Danny loved Lindsay and that little girl, and that he would go to whatever lengths to make sure they were safe. Danny nodded and gave the man a sad grin as he took the little girl's hand and led her out of the office. The walked in silence as they made their way back towards Lindsay's office. As they turned a corner, the rage that was beginning to settle suddenly sparked again inside of him. The face of Cameron Burke was staring back at his, a look of newfound bravery on his face, a stupid grin that made him look like he should be put in a mental institution. The fire inside of Danny relit, changing the color in his face to a deep red. He gripped tighter onto Bailey's tiny hand, fearing that if he didn't hold on tight enough, his little girl would be sucked in by an invisible vortex surrounding Cameron. He tried to avoid the man's gaze, but his evil glare seemed to draw Danny in; he was unavoidable. He glared up at Cameron, hoping his ice stare would cut through the man, but he seemed indestructible. As they were about to pass each other, Cameron suddenly stopped in his tracks, right in Danny's path, causing Danny's blood to run cold.

"Hey Messer, how's it goin'?" he asked in a cynical voice, causing Bailey to hide behind Danny's leg.

"What do you want Cameron?" he shot back, trying to hid the anger in his voice from the little girl, hoping they wouldn't scare her.

"I just wanted to apologize for earlier, you know, calling Lindsay out about telling you I was the father of her bastard child."

Everything in the world seemed to disappear.

The only people standing in the hallway at that very moment were Danny, Cameron, and his little girl. He stared at the little face standing behind him, scared and alone, a look of fear in her eyes. He would protect her at all costs. Picking her up, he carried her across the hall, towards one of the lab stations where Adam was currently waiting for a printout of results. He set the little girl on the ground, bending down so he could look her straight in the eye, reading the terror swimming behind her blue eyes.

"Bailey, honey, I'll be right back. I just need to talk to your Uncle Cameron for a second. Stay with Adam, okay?"

She nodded fearfully, not quite understanding what was going on, but knowing she had to be brave. Adam had a confused look on his face, but nodded anyway as Danny silently thanked him and reentered the hallway. No sooner had he stepped out the doorway of the lab station than his fist had collided with Cameron's face. In a fit of fury, he grabbed the man by the collar and pinned him up against the wall.

"Don't you EVER talk about _my_ little girl like that again! You stay away from Lindsay and Bailey, and don't you EVER let me catch your sorry ass around them again, you hear me?!"

Cameron could see the veins popping out of his forehead, the sweat beading down his face, and the way his color grew redder with every word. Danny's fingers were digging into his skin, he would surely have a bruise there as well as a swollen face. He had made a bad decision.

A _very _bad decision.

"Do you hear me Burke?!" Danny screamed as he banged Cameron's body against the concrete. "If I _ever _catch you so much as _looking _at them ever again, you're going to answer to me. Now get your pathetic face away from me. I don't wanna see you around here again, do you hear? Get the fuck out of my face."

He released the man, giving him one last shove before he made his way back to where he had last left his daughter. He picked her up and held her tightly to his chest, placing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"You know I love you, right kiddo? I would do anything for you and your mommy, you know that right?"

"Of course I do Danny," she giggled back at him like he should have already known the answer to the question.

"Good," he replied, carrying her down the hallway. "Let's go get your mommy and get the hell out of here."

"Danny, don't swear," she giggled again, making him laugh a little in response. She was always there to brighten his spirits.

Always.

-----------

The car ride was silent except for the quiet sounds of the radio that had been on a low volume. Neither Danny nor Lindsay had enough energy to reach over and turn it off. Poor Bailey sat in her booster seat wondering what was actually going on. She could tell that Danny was lying from the start; her mother never looked like this when she was sick, something else was wrong. But she refused to ask, she knew it wasn't the right time or place; the truth would be told when the adults felt the time was right.

They pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex, Danny climbing out of the car first, to help Bailey out of her booster seat, putting the little girl on his hip before opening up Lindsay's door to help her out of the car. As he opened up the passenger side door, the look on her face almost had him sobbing next to her. She was obviously still pained, but she looked as if she had gone into shock. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, her arms were stiffly crossed across her body, her head was sunken low into her chest. He pulled her up into his arms and hugged her as tightly as he could with a four year old balanced on his hip. Placing a kiss to her forehead, he softly whispered into her ear.

"He's never going to hurt you or our daughter again, I promise you. I'll make sure of it."

All she could do in response was shake her head. That in itself took all of her energy to accomplish. When they entered the apartment, Danny whispered to Bailey that she should go in her room and play, let her mommy rest so she could get better as fast as possible and take care of Bailey. The little girl gave him a sad nod as she walked down the hall to her room, letting Danny focus his attention on a trembling Lindsay, who was now sitting completely upright on the couch shaking. He took a seat next to her, wrapping his arm around her trembling frame, letting her slump into his side where she fit perfectly. He ran his hand softly up and down the length of her back, trying to comfort her; anything to get her to stop shaking. It was scaring him; he had never seen her like this before and he didn't know what to do. The fact that she began speaking shocked him.

"I heard him Danny," she mustered, barely above a whisper. "He called our little baby a bastard. He called her a bastard child."

Her repetition of the words that Cameron had spat in his face earlier made him cringe. He held her tighter, it was the only thing he could think to do.

"No, don't say that Lindsay. He's wrong, our daughter is perfect and you know that. Don't ever listen to a word out of that fucker's mouth, he's just angry. You know the truth, and I know the truth. Anything he says is just a lie. Bailey is absolutely perfect, and that son of a bitch is never going to hurt either of you again, I'll make sure of it."

She cuddled into his chest, feeling a sense of reassurance from his touch, and began to drift off to sleep. The entirety of the situation had drained her out completely. Danny felt the weight of her sleep against him and let out a sigh. Maybe resting would calm her down a bit. He kissed her forehead gently and quietly removed himself from under her slumbering figure so she was now lying on the couch. He covered her with one of Bailey's Disney Princess blankets that was draped across the back of the couch and kissed her once more, then stood there staring at her, smiling at how cute she looked when she was sleeping. He figured he would give her some time alone to rest and made his way down the hall to check on Bailey.

When he entered her room, he expected to find her playing with her toys or dancing like a ballerina, typical things for a four year old to do. Instead, what he saw startled him a bit. She was sitting quite still on the edge of her bed, a photo album clutched in her hands, staring down at a photo that was out of his line of sight. He leaned in the door frame, waiting for her to see him. Surprisingly, it took her quite some time to notice his presence. She was obviously deeply engrossed by the photo, but he eventually noticed her head twitch, then move completely in his direction, sadly smiling up at him.

"Hey Danny," she said with a sigh.

"Hey kiddo." He made his way over to her bed, sitting down next to her and pulling her onto his lap. "Watcha lookin' at?"

"Just some pictures."

His eyes ventured down to the photo album in her hand. On one side of the pages that were open was a picture of Bailey and Lindsay, where exactly it was taken he couldn't make out. But the picture that he assumed she had been intently observing was on the opposite page. It was a photo of Bailey and Cameron, taken not long before Danny had come back to town. They were both so happy, yet the current look on the little girl's face was so sad.

"Danny, can I ask you something?"

"Sure kiddo, what's on your mind?"

She sighed again softly before speaking again. "What's a bastard?"

It was Danny's turn to sigh. "You heard that huh?" he replied, rubbing her shoulder soothingly. Just like her mother, the little girl slumped into his touch.

"I've heard that word before, but it's always when someone's mad at someone else. Is Uncle Cameron mad at me? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no you didn't do anything wrong kiddo. Your Uncle Cameron, he's…he's just angry in general right now. He didn't mean what he said, he's just in a bad place and he didn't know what to do. He shouldn't have taken it out on you."

"Okay. But I don't want him to get in trouble. Is his mommy gonna give him a time-out? Because if he's gonna get in trouble because of me, I'll feel bad."

Danny chuckled lightly. In the worst of moments, his little girl could always make things seem better than they were. "No, he won't have to go to time out. But he should have to apologize for making you feel sad," he mumbled to himself.

She thought long and hard, and then looked back up at him. "Okay, I have another question."

"Shoot."

"Mommy's not really sick, is she?"

He sighed again, heavier this time, and turned the little girl around in his arms so she was now facing him. "Well, she's not sick like you are when you get the flu. Her heart is sick because it's sad that your Uncle Cameron is so angry."

Bailey got her thinking face on and then presented Danny with her idea. "Well maybe if you give her a kiss it'll make her feel better. I know I said kissing was gross, but I'll just pretend I didn't see it. If it'll make mommy feel better, I guess I'll let you do it just this once."

He chuckled again at his baby girl's innocence. "I don't think a kiss is going to make this better sweetheart."

"But a kiss always makes things better," she protested. "Like in Sleeping Beauty when the prince kissed Aurora, she was all better. And in Snow White, the prince kissed her and she woke up. You're kind of like my mommy's prince, right? If you kiss her, everything will be all better, right?"

He thought for a moment before responding. "If you really think it could work, I guess I could try."

"Okay!" she said excitedly, jumping out of his lap and grabbing his hand, dragging him down the hallway towards the living room. She dragged him all the way to the couch, inches away from her sleeping mother.

"Go on, kiss her already," she whispered, shoving him closer towards the couch.

He laughed quietly as he bent down towards his princess, lightly kissing her lips. He pulled away and watched as his little girl stared intently from him to her and back again, waiting for something to happen. She jumped a little when the sleeping figure of her mother began to move, her eyes blinking a few times before they opened, smiling at the two people standing in front of her.

"Danny, it worked!" Bailey shrieked with excitement.

"What worked baby?" she laughed, sleep still lingering in her words.

"I told Danny that he was your prince and that if he kissed you, it would make everything better, and it did!"

Lindsay laughed as she grinned up at Danny, who could only return her actions, giggling as she reached up to place her hand on his cheek.

"Well thank you, my prince. I feel much better now. How about another kiss?"

"Hey, this was a one time deal!" Bailey interjected. "Kissing is _gross_, remember? No kissing in front of Bailey!"

Her parents laughed as they turned their attention towards their little girl, grabbing her and showering her with kisses as her shrieks of laughter filled the apartment. As soon as the giggle fest was over, Danny came up with an idea.

"What do you guys think about me makin' you dinner?"

The girls looked at each other and smirked back at Danny, who was waiting patiently for their response.

"Umm, no offense Danny, but can you cook? You're a _boy_," Bailey responded.

"Yes I can, little Miss Monroe. I happen to be the best damn spaghetti cooker in all of New York," he scoffed back.

"Danny, don't swear!" she retorted, giggling.

"I'm sorry," he laughed back. "But whaddya say? Spaghetti, Messer style?"

Bailey glanced back at her mother for reassurance. When Lindsay gave her a nod, she returned to Danny.

"I guess. But mommy, you'd better order a pizza Just in case."

Danny stuck his tongue out at her before making his way into the kitchen, his girls leaning over the back of the couch to watch him work his magic.

-----------

An hour and a half later, an apron-clad Danny had finally finished transferring the excess marinara sauce from the pot on the stove to a gravy boat, setting it on the table next to the giant serving dish of spaghetti that was already covered in the delicious looking red sauce. He put a heaping amount onto both Lindsay and Bailey's plates before serving himself, then removed his apron and sat down himself.

"I don't know Bay, it looks kind of poisonous," Lindsay joked, getting a laugh out of the little girl.

"Yeah, what if Danny's trying to kill us?!" she laughed, putting her hands around her neck as she pretended to joke. Lindsay laughed while Danny sat with his mouth agape, appalled at what his daughter was doing. In response, he spun a hefty amount on his own fork and stuffed it in his mouth, exaggeratingly chewing and licking his lips to prove his point.

"Tastes pretty good to me," he shot at her jokingly.

"Danny, don't talk with your mouth full," Lindsay joked back.

"Yeah Danny, don't talk with your mouth full," Bailey repeated, sticking her tongue out as Danny wiped the sauce off of his face.

Lindsay spun the pasta around her fork, laughing as she noticed the look of terror on her little girl's face.

"It's okay baby, I'll be fine, I promise. Eat your dinner." She took a bite of the spaghetti, nodding in approval as Danny grinned at Bailey, nodding at her plate, indicating that she should try it as well. Reluctantly, she picked up her Batman fork, putting a single strand of spaghetti on it, and slurping it into her mouth. As she chewed the food, her eyes lit up and her fork flew back to her plate, piling on more and more pasta until the majority of her plate was now on her fork. Contrary to the size of her tiny mouth, she managed to stuff the entirety of the spaghetti into it, licking the sauce off of her lips as she smiled in delight.

"Mmm!" she grinned in approval. "You're right Danny, you _do _make the best damn spaghetti in all of New York!"

As Lindsay's mouth dropped, Danny's head hung as his laughter filled the kitchen.

"Bailey Louise, you know that's a bad word!" Lindsay scolded her.

"He said it first!" she replied, pointing her tiny, sauce covered finger at Danny, who was still dying of laughter across the table. He managed to contain his giggles to apologize.

"I'm sorry Bailey, I shouldn't be setting a bad example," he said in between giggles. "Your mommy's right, it's a bad word, don't repeat it."

"Okay," she replied, giggling. She reached across to the basket of bread. Taking a piece of bread, the sauce in the gravy boat, and the parmesan cheese on the table, she made herself a pizza bread, and proceeded to stuff her face.

"Hey, that's pretty clever," Danny chuckled as he watched her eat the concoction. "Wanna make me one?"

"Sure," she said, reaching across the table to make Danny one of her creations.

"Wait, you didn't poison this, did you?" he asked as she handed him the gooey bread.

"Danny, I'm only four, how would I know how to poison you?"

"Very true," he responded with a chuckle, popping the bread in his mouth. He chewed it thoroughly, torturing her purposely while the little girl stared at him, waiting for his approval.

"Mmm," he mimicked her. "Delicious." Her big blue eyes lit up at his words.

"Really?!"

"Really really," he responded. "Best pizza bread I ever tasted. You should sell this to a restaurant, you'd make big bucks."

The grin on her face was the biggest it had been all night. As Lindsay noticed this, she grinned at Danny, rubbing his arm in thanks. He returned her smile, then returned his gaze towards their daughter who was now dangling a strand of spaghetti over her mouth, slurping it up and sending spaghetti sauce flying everywhere.

"Bay, why don't you go take your bath, you've go more sauce around your mouth than in it," she told her daughter with a laugh. Without protesting, she jumped down from her chair, both Danny and Lindsay thinking she was heading towards the bathroom. Instead, she second guessed herself, turning towards Danny, a mischievous grin on her face. She beckoned for him to come down to her level, and as he did, she placed a big, wet, saucy kiss on his cheek, causing Lindsay to laugh, and Danny to lift her up and place a raspberry on her stomach, the little girl erupting in giggles, finally surrendering and jumping down from his grasp to go take her bath.

When they were alone, Lindsay reached across the table and wiped the sauce from his cheek, then kissed the rest of it off, causing a chill to run the length of him. Four years later and she could still do that to him.

"Thank you for the dinner," she said as soon as she had cleaned him up. "I haven't had Messer's famous spaghetti for so long. You've still got it in ya," she joked.

"Not a problem," he laughed back, tucking a curl behind her ear.

"Why don't I clean up the kitchen, you go read Bailey a bedtime story," Lindsay suggested out of the blue.

"You sure? I made the mess, least I can do is clean it up."

"I'm sure," she replied, placing a kiss on his cheek where the sauce had previously been. "Go enjoy your daughter."

The words warmed his heart. He still couldn't come to grips that the amazing little girl in there was his daughter. Getting up from the table, he gave Lindsay a warm smile before heading towards his little girl's bedroom.

-----------

She was surprised at first to see him sitting on her bed, a book in his hands, but no sooner was she confused than she was quickly jumping into lap, ready for him to read her a story. He opened up the book and began reading, Bailey hanging on to every word that passed through his lips. The story was over much too quickly for either of them, but they both knew it was getting late and that Bailey needed her sleep. He placed the book back in its place on the shelf, then returned to her side to tuck her in. As he was about to turn out the lights, she interrupted him.

"Since you're dating my mommy, does that mean you're gonna get married?"

He smiled sweetly back at her. "I don't know kiddo. We'll just have to see how things go."

"I hope it does," she replied with a sigh. "If you guys got married, that would make you my daddy, and then I would be the happiest girl in the whole entire universe."

He bent down and placed a kiss to her forehead. "And if you were my baby girl, that would make me the happiest man in the whole entire universe."

"Really?" she asked him wide-eyed, fighting back the sleep that was tugging at her eyes.

"Really," he replied softly, a smile plastered on his face. "You'd better get some sleep though."

"Okay," she said with a yawn. "Goodnight Danny."

"Night Bailey, sweet dreams."

He shut the lights off in her room and walked towards the door, not noticing that Lindsay had been standing against the doorframe the entire time, a smile spreading across her face. She opened her arms as he accepted the hug, pulling her into his embrace.

"She wants you to be her daddy," Lindsay whispered against his chest. He nodded, pulling her chin up to place a tender kiss on her lips.

"Danny, I think it's time we tell Bailey the truth."

Her words startled him, but he was soon smiling against her lips.

"Are you sure? Do you think it's the right time?"

"Did you hear what your daughter just said to you?" she giggled. "She wants you in her life Danny, we have to tell her."

He pulled her into a tight hug, the smile on his face only growing wider. "So when can we tell her?"

"How about tomorrow? We both have the day off; the sooner we tell her, the better."

He grinned down at her, as she smiled back up at him.

"Tomorrow," he repeated, trying to convince himself that it was actually happening.

"Tomorrow."

---

**Next Week in Come Back to Me...**

_"Bailey, Danny and I have something to tell you."_


	19. Chapter 19

**hey all ! (:**

**thanks for all the reviews, they really mean a lot to me !**

**i cant really say anything about this chapter except keep reading, the outcome is going to be fine, i promise ! i like this way better than "everything is automatically picture perfect" sooo bring on the drama :)**

**ps--TOTALLY forgot to say this last time, but 200+ REVIEWS ?!?!?!**

**i love you all, you deserve virtual m&m's :D**

**enjoy (:**

**--mtc.**

Chapter 19

He walked through a clearing and stumbled upon a scene that had tears brimming in his eyes. His daughter and her mother were sitting atop a red and white checkered blanket, a picnic basket seated next to them, the child in her mother's lap, both girls smiling sweetly at the man who was now walking toward them. The little girl giggled softly as her mother whispered something in her ear, and then beckoned the blonde man over, patting the blanket next to them as an indication that he should sit down. As he took a seat next to the two most important women in his life, the older of the two intertwined her left hand with his right. As she did this, he felt metal, and glancing down, he noticed the silver wedding band around her third finger. The touch of the ring to his skin warmed his soul; she was eternally his, and that was all he ever needed in life. The little girl threw her tiny arms around his neck.

Bringing her small face close to his ear, she whispered, "I love you daddy."

Those words alone were the only words he needed to survive. The love of his daughter and wife were more essential to him than the air he was breathing; if everything else in his life was taken away, it wouldn't matter. The fact that they were here in his life was all he needed to go on living. He gazed into his daughter's deep blue eyes as she batted her eyelashes at him. If anything in the world was perfect, it was the little girl in front of him. Out of the blue, she began to giggle. At what exactly, he was not sure. But he didn't mind, her giggles were like music to his ears. She reached out her finger and poked his nose, and as she did this, she began to fade away. The entire scene before him; the picnic blanket, the basket, the food, his wife, and his daughter. All images before him began to fade away. He reached out to grasp onto them before they were completely out of his reach, but he had no such luck. All of a sudden, he was sitting completely alone in a vast sea of white nothingness.

But he could still hear his daughter's voice.

"Shh. Don't wake him up, he looks funny. We have to take a picture first."

Don't wake him up? He was a bit confused at first, but then he realized what was going on. Danny Messer had been dreaming this entire time. As he reluctantly batted his eyelashes--hoping that if he stayed asleep a little bit longer, his dream would become a reality--he saw two fuzzy figures standing in front of him. As they became clearer, he was finally able to make them out. His daughter was standing in front him clutching a digital camera, and her mother was crouched next to her, giggling at the image displayed on the screen, which he could not see. He turned his eyes into slits, trying to make it appear as though he were still asleep. He peered down at Lindsay's left hand, his heart dropping when he realized that she was, in fact, only his girlfriend. He saw his daughter's tiny finger edging towards his nose once again, only this time it was her actual finger, not a pretend finger from his dreams. She poked his nose and in return, he jumped up and grabbed her, pulling her on top of him and tickling her until she was laughing so hard, tears were forming.

"We thought you were sleeping!" she exclaimed as he ceased the tickling.

"I was, but girls talk too loud; you two woke me up," he replied with a snicker.

"Well, we might talk too loud, but at least we don't drool in our sleep," Bailey shot back, flashing the camera in his direction. His own image was staring back at him, one arm and one leg hanging off the edge of the couch he was currently laying on, his mouth hanging wide open, and as Bailey had informed him, drool was seeping out of his mouth. He made a grab for the camera but his little girl was too quick for him, running behind her mother so he couldn't get to her. She peered out from behind her legs and stuck her tongue out at Danny, who oh so kindly returned the favor.

"Why are you sleeping here anyway?" she asked, still hiding.

He had to think for a moment. Why was he sleeping on Lindsay's couch? He thought back to the previous night. He remembered putting his daughter to bed, he remembered Lindsay telling him that they should tell Bailey who her real daddy was, he remembered a hot make out session on the same couch he was laying on, and then he remembered Lindsay asking him to stay the night. After much deliberation, and much protesting done by Lindsay, they had both agreed that he would sleep on the couch. The last time they had shared a bed, Bailey had almost walked in on them, and Danny didn't want anything to ruin this day. It was going to change his life forever.

"I wanted to be here when you woke up," he replied, the little girl coming out from her hiding place to sit on the couch with Danny. Hearing this news, she cuddled next to him for a moment before jumping off the couch, wrapping her hand around his, and dragged him to the kitchen, beckoning for Lindsay to follow. She paused in front of the pantry, her hand on her chin, trying to decide what she wanted for breakfast. Before she could come to a conclusion, Danny had lifted her up and put her on his hip.

"How's about we go somewhere special for breakfast?"

"Like out to a restaurant?" she asked, her eyes widened already.

"Of course. I don't know if your mommy told you already, but this is your special day."

"Really?!" Danny looked from his daughter to Lindsay, meeting Lindsay's gaze and returning the warm smile she had given him.

"Yep it is," Lindsay replied. "Why don't you go get dressed and brush your teeth; the faster you're ready, the faster we can get out of here."

With that, the little girl jumped out of Danny's arms and sped down the hallway, laughter erupting from her parents as she left them in the dust. As soon as they were alone, Danny pulled Lindsay into a good morning kiss.

"Morning Montana," he smiled against her lips.

"Good morning to you too," she laughed as he moved his kisses from her lips to her neck. "Danny, child in the next room."

He giggled against her skin and pulled away, meeting her eyes once more. "You do realize she's the only reason I'm stopping, right?"

Lindsay blushed at his words as she heard their daughter's tiny feet charging back towards them, a Finding Nemo purse in her hands, dressed and ready to go.

"Alright people, I'm starving! Let's blow this popsicle stand!" Grabbing a hand of each parent in her own, little Bailey skipped down the hall, ready to start the day with her two favorite people in the world, never once guessing what the day would actually hold for her.

-----------

As the quaint family of three sat at a side booth in Denny's, Bailey questioned how exactly she was going to finish all of her breakfast. An enormous stack of waffles was sitting in front of her, almost passing up her own height. Syrup was dripping down the plate and onto the table. Danny, who was seated across from her, laughed as the little girl tried to cut a small piece, only resulting in an entire waffle ending up on the fork.

"I told you that you should've gotten the Mickey Mouse pancakes off the kiddie menu," Lindsay laughed, trying to help her daughter along before breakfast hours were over.

"I can do this myself, I'm a big girl," she responded with a frustrated, yet determined look on her face. An entire waffle still drooping off of her fork, she brought it up to her mouth and ripped a corner off with her teeth, sending syrup flying everywhere, including Danny's face. With a satisfied grin, she chewed the giant chunk of waffle that overflowed her tiny mouth. Although covered in syrup and bits of waffle, Danny couldn't help but laugh at his daughter. He took his glasses off and attempted to clean the syrupy goo off of them, failing when he realized that it was only spreading, making it worse than it had been before. Reaching across the table, Lindsay took the glasses out of his hands, stifling a laugh at the look of utter disgust on his face as he saw that there was more breakfast on his glasses than in his daughter's mouth. She pulled a bag of wipes out of her purse and gently cleaned the lenses, making sure there was not even a trace amount of waffle left before handing them back to him.

"That better cowboy?" she asked him with a laugh, watching him inspect the glasses before putting them back on his face.

"Yeah, thanks," he laughed back, still hesitant to put the metal frames back on his face. "Hurry up and finish kiddo, or we won't be able to do all the fun things I have planned for today."

Bailey started at him for a moment before diving into her plate of waffles face first, not even bothering to use a fork. Both Danny and Lindsay exchanged similar glances, their mouths dropped, eyes wide, as their daughter continued to eat her breakfast like an animal, neither knowing whether to laugh or throw her in a cage. Finally, Lindsay pulled her away from the now half eaten plate of waffles and ushered her towards the bathroom. As she left the table, she bent down to Danny's ear.

"Congratulations, she inherited your eating habits," she whispered, half humored, half annoyed as she whisked the little girl off to the back of the restaurant. Smiling, he whipped his wallet out and readied his Master Card so that as soon as the waitress returned with the check, they could get out of there as soon as possible. He couldn't wait for the rest of the day. He got lost in his thoughts while his girls were away, thinking about what kind of reaction his daughter would have when she found out he was her father. Would she jump into his arms, thrown her own around his neck and hug him into next week? The possibilities he dreamed about were endless and he couldn't quite decide which was his favorite. He probably looked like an idiot, sitting in a booth at Denny's with a giant grin on his face, staring off into space, but he didn't care. The rest of his life began today, there was absolutely nothing that could bring him down.

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"How many times have I told you: God invented forks for a reason, let's try and use them to our advantage," Lindsay told her daughter, trying to be serious and not erupt in laughter as she attempted to clean the syrup and bits of waffle out of the little girl's hair.

"Danny said hurry up, I thought if I ate it like that it would go faster," she replied with a shrug. Lindsay could only laugh in response. She had managed to make Bailey look somewhat presentable again. Washing her own hands once more, she picked the little girl up off the counter in the bathroom and placed her on the floor, taking her hand as they made their way back to the table.

When they arrived, Danny was standing in front of them, both of the girl's purses in his hand, ready to leave the restaurant.

"Is it okay to touch you again? All the syrup gone?" he joked with the little girl as she reached for her purse. She smirked at him before thrusting her arms upward, indicating that she wanted to be picked up. Without hesitation, he gathered her in his arms, only to be showered by sticky kisses, the scent of sugary syrup still lingering after her previous wash down. Had it been any other person, he would have been angry for the rest of the day, but when it came to Bailey, she could do no wrong. He kissed her on the cheek before moving her from his hip to his shoulder. She gripped onto his shoulders for support, resting her head on his, warming his heart. He took Lindsay's hand in his own and they made their way back out to the parking lot, envious eyes from everyone in the little restaurant following them, wishing they too could have such a happy family.

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"Can I open my eyes yet?" Bailey half screamed into Danny's ears as she had one hand clutched to his shoulders and one clamped over her eyes.

"Hey monkey, calm down, we're almost there," he laughed, squeezing her leg in reassurance.

Although she wanted to peek and open her eyes, she relied on her other senses to give her a hint. She could smell the hot dogs and the salt water from the beach, could hear the sounds of children laughing and having fun, splashing around in the water. She heard as carts whizzed by, people laughing at the thrill of whatever they were riding on. She felt the wind whip past her face, a nice breeze considering the warm temperature. It was a beautiful day, and she was all too excited to be outside. Now, if she could only figure out where she was.

"Danny, please can I open my eyes now?!" she exclaimed, now growing impatient. She felt his body stop beneath her, a smile creeping onto her face as she realized she was about to find out what her curious mind had been wondering for the past fifteen minutes.

Danny glanced over at Lindsay, squeezing her hand and smiling as she smiled up at their daughter who was wiggling around on his shoulders, trying to figure out where they were. He wrapped his hands around her tiny waist and positioned her on his hip, taking her hand from where it had been resting on her eyes, laughing as he saw that her eyes were still pinched shut.

"You can open your eyes Bay," he laughed. Both Lindsay and Danny watched as she reluctantly opened one eye first, then the other, both eyes seeming to pop out of her head as she realized where they were currently standing.

"CONEY ISLAND!" she exclaimed, almost jumping out of his grasp in excitement. Her reaction only brought smiles to both of her parents faces, Lindsay leaning into Danny's side for a hug as she enjoyed their daughter's excitement.

"I can't believe we're actually here!" she said excitedly.

"Is this a nice surprise?" Danny asked, already knowing the answer before she opened her mouth again.

"Are you KIDDING?! I LOVE this surprise! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She threw her arms around Danny's neck before leaning over to hug Lindsay. Both Danny and Lindsay basked in the warmth, not from the sun that was beating down on them overhead, but from their daughter's love as she jumped out of Danny's arms to grab their hands. They made their way down the boardwalk to the beach, Bailey kicking off her shoes to wiggle her toes in the sand.

"Can I go swimming?" she asked, a hopeful glint in her eyes as she stared up at her mother, waiting for an answer.

"What would a trip to Coney Island be if I didn't let you go swimming?" she laughed back as she pulled a tiny Finding Nemo swim suit out of her bag. The sparkle in her daughter's eyes was brighter than the sun itself.

-----------

After they changed into their swimsuits, Danny and Lindsay included, they made their way down to the beach, setting up their towels in the perfect spot right along the shore. Lindsay pulled out the sun screen and blobbed some on her hand, motioning Bailey over to apply it to her tan skin before she ran off into the water.

"Aww, mom!" she protested.

"Yeah, mom!" Danny mimicked, whining as Lindsay rubbed some in to both of their shoulders, causing Bailey to giggle.

"Hey, no fighting you two. I don't want to hear whining all day because you're sun burnt."

"Fine," Bailey replied, crossing her arms and thumping to the ground as she allowed Lindsay to cover her in sunscreen.

"Yeah, fine," Danny mimicked, pouting his lip out as far as it would go. Lindsay chuckled as she squirted him with sunscreen, rubbing it in on his back as she watched Bailey rub in her own, the little girl protesting that if she had to wear sunscreen, she could at least do it herself. As soon as they were completely covered in sunscreen, she shooed them away.

"Go have fun!"

"Mommy, aren't you gonna come swimming too?" Bailey asked, stopping in her tracks.

"Nah, it's okay. I don't like the water, go have fun with Danny."

Danny bent down and whispered something in the little girl's ear, and as she giggled, Lindsay grew skeptical of their plans. They edged back towards her, mischievous grins plastered across both of their faces. She tried to edge away, but they were too quick for her own good. Danny picked her up in one swift motion, carrying her to the water and running in with her, dunking the both of them under water as Bailey watched and laughed from the shore, the water splashing against her feet.

"We got you mommy!" she laughed as she pointed at her now soaking wet mother. Lindsay grinned back at her, sloshing out of the water as she edged towards her daughter, her arms outstretched.

"Don't think we were gonna leave you out of all the fun," she laughed as she picked the little girl up and dragged her into the water, fighting between protests and giggles the whole way. Lindsay eventually got her in the water, making sure they were in shallow enough water so that the tiny girl could stand all the way up. The three splashed around for a while before Bailey grew bored of the water, deciding instead that she wanted to dig around in the sand. Neither Danny or Lindsay protested as they laid out on their beach towels watching the little girl make sandcastles and dig random holes in the golden sand. Danny draped his arm casually across Lindsay's back, placing a soft kiss to her cheek.

"You know Montana, you look pretty hot in that bikini," he whispered, staring at the tiny black bikini that barely covered her body. "If we weren't in public, I may just have to unto this tie here," he said, fingering the knot that was loosely tied around her back. Her face reddened as she reached her hand back to stop him from exposing her on the beach.

"Calm down, I was only kidding," he laughed, lacing their fingers together. She playfully slapped his toned chest, admiring the fact that he was only wearing his black and blue swim trunks.

"Danny, wanna help me with my sand castle?" Bailey yelled from a couple feet away, attempting to pile sand into a structured form.

"Sure kiddo," he replied, getting up from his comfortable position in Lindsay's arms. "Duty calls," he chuckled, kissing her once on the cheek before padding across the sand to where his daughter was frustratedly trying to create a sand castle.

"The sand won't stay up!" she told him, putting her face in her hands as she stared at her drooping castle.

"Here, I can fix that," he replied, picking up a nearby bucket and filling it with water. "The sand you're using is too dry, wet it a little so it's stickier, and not even a bullet will take that thing down."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever you say, you're the master."

He chuckled as he carefully poured water over the sand, helping her mold the hardened substance into the shape of a castle.

After twenty minutes of building, their castle was towering over the majority of the other castles that other children were trying to build. They gazed at Bailey in jealousy, trying to apply Danny's methods to their own failing structures.

"Look Danny, our castle is the best one on the beach! Everyone else is totally jealous!" Bailey exclaimed excitedly.

"Well of course it's the best," Danny boasted. "You're an amazing castle builder. Now, for the finishing touch." He bent down and picked up a nearby twig and leaf, fastening the leaf to the wood by poking a hole through it, and handed the little girl the makeshift flag. He lifted her up, allowing her to place the twig in the top of the castle. He put her back down on the ground, and she smiled proudly at the castle, admiring it's beauty among the rest of the beach. Lindsay pulled out her camera and motioned for them to pose by the castle. Danny hoisted Bailey up onto his shoulders once more, and the grin on the little girl's face was the biggest either of them had ever seen it. Once the photo was snapped, they decided to leave the beach and explore the rest of the park. They packed up the towels and such, took one last look at the sand castle, and left to change out of their half dried swimsuits.

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An ice cream cone in her hand, Bailey skipped down the boardwalk, just enjoying the fact that she could be outside and enjoy the fresh air. Danny and Lindsay walked behind her, holding hands and enjoying spending the day with their daughter. The little girl stopped near the end and stared out at the blue water bobbing below her. She sat on the edge, Danny and Lindsay joining her on either side as they stared out, admiring the beauty of the sun setting beyond the ocean. It was the perfect moment.

"So why is it my special day today?" Bailey questioned, wiggling her toes above the water.

"I don't really think we need a reason," Lindsay told her, rubbing her leg. "You're an amazing little girl, you deserve it."

The little girl smiled back at her mother, then to Danny, then back out at the setting sun. They enjoyed the stillness of the water, how calm it was and how serene it made them feel. As the sun met the horizon, Lindsay turned to look at Danny. He smiled as he realized what she was saying with her eyes. It was time.

"Bailey, Danny and I have something to tell you."

"Okay," the little girl replied nonchalantly.

Taking a deep breath, Lindsay began to speak. "Do you remember a couple months ago, when you started asking me about who your daddy was?"

"Yeah, I remember. Why?" Her interest was perked, and she stopped staring at the water, moving her attention to stare up at her mother and Danny.

"I told you if there was ever a way to get ahold of him that I would find him for you, remember?"

"Yeah, but why are you telling me this?" she asked, now growing confused.

"Bailey, I found him."

Her eyes grew wide as she searched her mother's eyes for more answers.

"Really? Who is he? Where?"

Lindsay laughed as she tried to calm her daughter down before she plummeted into the water.

She took another deep breath before answering her daughter's impending question. "Bailey, it's Danny. Danny is your daddy."

Danny smiled as his daughter slowly turned her head to look at him. The reaction she gave him was not what he was expecting.

"You're…my daddy?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

"I'm your daddy," he replied, placing a gentle hand on her own.

"You're the one…who left my mommy, and made her sad for all that time. You left us?"

He was shocked. He didn't know how to respond. Tears were welling up in his baby girl's eyes, but he had caused them. He wanted to wipe them away, but he didn't know if that would just make everything worse.

"You hurt my mommy…You didn't love me enough to stay for me."

Her words cut him like a knife. The fact that his daughter was relaying his own actions to him made it that much more real.

"Bailey, sweetie, I swear--"

"I don't wanna talk to you, I hate you!" she replied, tears streaming down her face. Danny glanced over at Lindsay, tears matching her daughters as she, too, tried to figure out what to do.

Without hesitation, the little girl jumped up from where she was sitting and took off down the boardwalk.

"Bailey!" Lindsay exclaimed, getting up to chase after the little girl.

Danny couldn't move. His insides were frozen; his body was completely shutting down.

His daughter hated him.

What was there left to live for?

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After the awkwardly silent car ride home, Danny had returned to Flack's apartment, leaving Lindsay and Bailey at their own. The little girl refused to talk, a blank expression on her face for the remainder of the day. It pained Lindsay to see her this way. She didn't know what to do. As she combed the little girl's wet hair after her bath, she tried to talk to her daughter, tried to find out what was going on in that little head of hers.

"Bailey, you've gotta talk to me sweetie. Tell me what you're thinking."

She got no response. The blank stare came back to her in the mirror, making her want to cry.

"Come on baby, you can't stay silent forever."

"Yes I can," the little girl uttered back, crossing her arms.

Lindsay sighed. "Sweetie, it's not that he didn't love you. You know he does, with all his heart. Please talk to me. What's got you so upset?"

The little girl let out a sigh of her own. "He made you sad mommy. He left you, and he made you sad, and he didn't come back for me and you." She paused for a long moment and then resumed. "I hate him. I hope he never comes back again."

She stepped off the kiddie stool in front of the mirror and sulked down the hallway to her bedroom, closing the door, signaling that she wanted to be left alone. Lindsay leaned against the door frame, silently crying to herself. How were they going to fix this?

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He opened another beer, his fourth once since he had walked in the door. What was he going to do? He sighed as he wiped a falling tear from his cheek. He honestly didn't know where to go from there. His daughter refused to talk to him, and she had pegged him for everything he had done in the past. He saw his life as useless as he reminisced on the day he had left. He could never forgive himself for what he had done, and now that it had impacted his daughter, it killed him that much more. Taking another sip of his beer, he slunk into the couch and pondered where to go from there.

--

**dont kill me :D**

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**Next Week in Come Back to Me...**

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**_Hearing the shots fired, the only though that passed in his mind was Bailey. He dove in front of his little girl, her shrill screams being the last thing he heard before the world went dark._**


	20. Chapter 20

**AHHH ! sorry, i suck at editing this before i post; sorry for the confusion !**

**yes, i know, its TUESDAY, not Wednesday, but i feel bad that ive been getting these up so late on Wednesday nights that i thought i'd post this chapter a day early. besides, i'm anxious to get the chapter AFTER this one up, so maybe you wont have to wait as long for the next one  
i cant really say anything in this without spoiling all the fun, sooo happy reading !  
as always, i love all of you for reading and reviewing; you totally make my days**

enjoy ! (:  
--mtc.

**Chapter 20**

It had been two weeks since he had last spoken to his daughter.

In his own words, that translated to two weeks of absolute misery. He tried to put it out of his mind, tried to focus on everything and anything else, but he just couldn't. Since the day that little girl had entered his life, nothing else in the world had mattered. He would do anything in his power to make her safe and happy, but now, he wasn't sure what to do anymore. He hadn't seen her pretty smile in what seemed like a century; the smile that would light up his world in the darkest of days, the one that would make him laugh when he wanted to curl up and cry. Her giggles that sounded better to him than any music playing on the radio, the way held her tiny little hand seemed to fit perfectly in his giant one no matter their difference in size. To say he missed her would be an understatement, it was eating him up inside.

He knew it was his own fault; of course it was his fault. He had walked out on her, on them, on everyone in his life, and there was nothing he could do to take that back. Since the day he had met his little girl, he thought he could put all of his regrets behind him, but ever since the day she had professed her hatred for him, they had all washed back like a tidal wave, completely drowning himself in the past. There was no way around any of it. He saw her occasionally when Lindsay brought her into work, but the cold stare that seemed like it was permanently etched into her face just made him feel worse inside. How could such a happy little girl look so lost in the world? It pained him to see her hurting so much. To keep the little girl from exploding in a fit of rage, Lindsay and Danny would try to coordinate their schedules around each other, only making his life more of a hell hole. He lived for work; being able to see the love of his life each and every day kept him at least partially sane for the time being. But he cared too much about his little girl to make her feel any worse than she already was. He couldn't go to Lindsay's to see her anymore; obviously Bailey lived there, and that would only make matters a thousand times worse. On days where Lindsay didn't bring her to the lab, they would try to see each other as much as possible, but they both knew that work was their first priority, and for the past two weeks, the crime world seemed to be teaming up against them. They rarely spoke of anything besides their case work, and once they were finished wrapping up the newest murder case, they would either get handed another or would be too tired to do anything else.

In short, his life had been hell for the past two weeks.

He lived on pictures and memories; they were the fuel that kept him going when the days grew long. When he couldn't sleep, he would often daydream about days he and his little girl had spent together, or days he wished they could spend together. Her first day of kindergarten, taking her to a Yankee's game, seeing her throw flower petals down the aisle of a church, sticking her tongue out at him as she approached the alter where he stood waiting. But as soon as he would fall asleep, the nightmares would begin. It was a similar dream to one he had had before: Lindsay and Bailey in Central Park having a picnic, his little girl jumping into his arms to whisper "I love you daddy". But as soon as she was about to whisper those coveted words, things would change. The skies would darken, the ring would disappear from Lindsay's finger, and his little girl would take her mother's hand and storm off, leaving him alone in the rain and the thunder, another man joining them as Danny watched them walk off, a brighter cloud seeming to follow them overhead. He would wake up drenched in sweat and tears, slapping himself to make sure he was awake and that it had all just been a dream. It terrified him to picture losing his girls again. He could have a gun pointed to his head, be facing death in any possible way and not be as scared as he was in those moments when he thought they would be gone from his life forever. That was his ultimate fear. Not natural disasters, not terrorist attacks, not death. Losing Bailey and Lindsay terrified him more than anything in the world.

He wished he could have one chance to talk to the little girl, try to explain himself, to tell her that he loved her more than anything and that he would do anything if she would just forgive him. But the little girl wouldn't have any of it. She refused to have any contact with him, which sent him home some nights crying. Flack tried to help him cope as much as he could, but he knew that in the end, this was Danny's battle, and he had to fight it on his own if he wanted to win it.

Tuesday rolled around, another day that Bailey would be in the lab, and as anxious as Danny was to see her, he was also dreading it. No doubt in the world he loved his little girl, but he hated seeing that look on her face. It wasn't her. His baby girl was hidden somewhere behind that hateful stare, fighting to get out, and he wished he could help her escape. He busied himself with paperwork, knowing that Lindsay would be in eventually to inform him that Bailey was with Flack; they had decided that staying with his was the best situation for all of them. As if right on cue, he could feel her presence lingering in the room and he glanced up to see her tired smile looking back at him. She bent down to place a soft kiss on his lips before he pulled her into his lap to hug her tightly. It had been so long since he had felt her warm embrace; it felt good to have her in his arms again.

"Hey cowboy," she said sadly, trying to be enthusiastic but knowing that she couldn't hide anything from him.

"Hey," he replied, trying to be strong for her. "What's got you down?"

Sighing, she tried to give him an answer without hurting him. "Bailey," she started out. He smiled at the mention of their daughter's name, but it also pained him to hear the hurt in Lindsay's voice. "She's not as happy as she used to be Danny, and it's killing me."

He let out a sigh of his own. "It's my fault." His words were only slightly above a whisper, his muttering causing her to sadden inside. She gently stroked his arm trying to comfort him, but knowing the only thing that could truly make him whole again was to see that little girl smile. Both knowing they had to get back to work, Lindsay removed herself from the comfort of his arms to her own desk across the room, starting on her stack of files. She would glance up occasionally, only adding to her own upset, to see Danny frustratingly attempting work, but knowing that there was only one thing on his mind. She knew all too well that that one thing was not the dead bodies that filled his files.

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Bailey Monroe sat atop her Uncle Flack's desk trying to entertain herself with the Flash coloring book that was sitting open in front of her. Her uncle sat in his office chair, thumbing through files as he attempted to close a case. She watched him intently, figuring that he would eventually catch her stare, but to her dismay he was much too enthralled with the case file sitting in front of him. She sighed dramatically, resting her head in her hands as she checked his reaction. Still, he read through his files, completely oblivious to the fact that she was trying to catch his attention.

"I said 'hmmmmm'," she repeated herself, growing impatient, sighing louder this time. She smiled when she notice his head perk up. Success.

"What's got you down monkey?" he asked her, concern in his eyes.

"Men," she replied with a sigh. At this, he had to chuckle.

"Really?" She nodded in response, egging him to go on. "You got boy troubles at preschool? Someone stealin' your cookie at snack time?"

She rolled her eyes at his petty attempt to joke. "Uncle Flack, I'm being serious," she shot back. "I mean actual men. First Uncle Cameron, now Danny. I don't think I can trust anybody anymore."

He pulled her into his lap, giving her a comforting hug before turning her around so she could face him.

"You can always trust me kiddo, I've always got your back."

"If I had a cookie for every time I've heard that one," she replied, rolling her eyes. He chuckled, but noticed the look of seriousness in her eyes. He had to help her, but he had to think of a way that would carry the least amount of pain for all involved.

"Sweetie, you've gotta trust me on this one, your daddy loves you with all his heart. He never meant to hurt you or your mommy."

"Oh yeah? Then why did he leave? He could have at least sent us a postcard or something."

Flack sighed heavily. "I know he should've, but you've got to understand where he's coming from. Your daddy, he…something really awful happened to him. If you were older, he'd probably explain it more to you, but you're too little to understand how much pain he went through. It's not like he fell off his tricycle and skinned his knee, it was a lot more painful than that."

"Uncle Flack, I'm not a baby, I ride a big girl bike now," she replied. He laughed at her innocence. Here he was trying to help her out, and all she could understand was that he had insulted her by suggesting that she owned a tricycle.

"Alright, I'm sorry, a big boy bike. But it's a lot more complicated than that. Some pretty horrible things happened to your daddy, and he had to go away for a little while. Granted he shouldn't have taken as much time as he did, but he came back for you guys. You know he loves you, you can't deny that, can you?"

She sighed and placed her chin in her hands. "No, I guess not."

"And remember all the fun times you guys had together?"

"I guess you're right," she sighed again, pondering what he was saying.

"See? He's not just some deadbeat, he loves you kiddo. You've gotta give him another chance, he's really hurtin' because you won't talk to him."

"Really?" This peaked her interest.

"Really really."

"Does he cry?" she asked, now seeming interested, making Don chuckle.

"Alright, I'll let you in on a little secret if you promise not to tell anyone." Waiting for her nod of approval, he continued. "He cries himself to sleep kiddo. He's a wreck without you."

She laughed a little at first, but then grew concerned. "He really cries about me? I mean, I know I'm awesome and all, but he really cries?"

"Yup," Flack replied, nodding his head. Bailey's head turned to the side, staring out the window down the hall in the direction of Danny and Lindsay's office.

"So whaddya say? Give him another chance for me?"

"Alright," she sighed. "I'm not saying I'll give him another chance, but if he really does cry, I guess I'll talk to him."

"That's my big girl," Flack said giving her a huge hug. They hopped off the chair and Bailey grabbed his hand; he could feel the fear coursing through her hand as her tiny fingers closed tighter around his own. Squeezing back in reassurance, he started out down the long hallway, Bailey trailing one step behind him the entire way.

They reached the office, a look of concern washing over Lindsay's face as she saw Don Flack grasping the hand of her scared looking little girl, chewing on her fingernails as she entered the quiet room.

"Don, what's wrong?" she asked him quietly, trying not to add any more fear to her daughter.

"Nothin'," he replied calmly. "Little Bailey here wants to talk to Danny. We figured we could find him in here." He craned his neck to find his friend, but a look of disappointment painted his face when he realized the blonde man was nowhere to be seen. The look on Lindsay's face, however, was the happiest it had been in weeks.

"Really sweetie? You wanna talk to Danny?"

The little girl nervously nodded her head, her fingers still hovering outside her mouth.

"He just went to DNA, we might have a break in the Murry case," she replied, more to Don than to the nervous little girl that was currently staring at her feet. "I'm not sure how long he'll be, but you can wait here for him if you'd like."

"I've actually gotta get back to work myself, but I'll leave the little rugrat with you," Don chuckled, the little girl releasing her grasp on his fingers as she padded over to her mother. Lindsay gathered her little girl up in her arms as Bailey buried her head in the crook of her mother's neck. As soon as Don had exited the office and turned the corner, Lindsay sat her little girl on the edge of her desk.

"Baby, if you don't want to do this, you don't have to," she told her little girl, noticing the intense fear in her daughter's eyes.

"I have to," she replied, avoiding her mother's gaze. "He cries at night mommy, Uncle Flack told me so. I have to at least talk to him. I may be mad at him, but I don't want him to cry."

Lindsay sadly smiled at her daughter before pulling her into a tight hug. "You're a very brave little girl, you know that?" Bailey could only nod against her mother's shoulder. After settling the little girl with her coloring book and crayons, Lindsay returned to her files, leaving Bailey to think about what exactly she was going to say to her father. She wanted to think of him as "daddy" instead of Danny, but she was still so lost in all of this. She was far too young to understand any of it, but she would make him explain it so she could understand. She was a big girl; she could take whatever it was he had to say to her.

Hours passed, and still there was no sign of Danny. It was nearing time for Lindsay to be off. Bailey had school in the morning, meaning an earlier bedtime for all, something the little girl was not looking forward to in the least. They were both getting tired of waiting, and as much as Lindsay loved getting ahead on paperwork, it was also her least favorite part of the job.

"Call him," Bailey suggested, not looking up from her coloring book to speak.

"Good idea," Lindsay muttered, more to herself than anything. As she opened her phone to hit his speed dial, she noticed that she had a text; she had been so concentrated on her work that she hadn't noticed that the vibrate had gone off.

_Hey Montana, sorry I disappeared for so long, DNA's a bitch. Anyway, I'll probably be in the lab all night, so I guess I'll just see you tomorrow. Give our baby girl a kiss for me when you tuck her in tonight. I love you. D._

A tear fell from her cheek as she read the last two lines of his text message. She gazed over at her little girl who was happily coloring and humming a random tune across the room.

"I'm sorry Bay, Danny's gotta work late. Maybe you can talk to him on Thursday."

She could see the slight disappointment in her daughter's eyes as she looked up from her coloring book to listen to what her mother had to say. Trying to seem unaffected by the news, she shrugged and closed her coloring book, placing the crayons back in the box and packing up her Flash backpack.

"Are we going?"

"Yep, you've still gotta eat dinner and take a bath; you've got school in the morning."

At this news, Bailey rolled her eyes, causing Lindsay to laugh. "Stop protesting, it's only preschool," she reminded her daughter with a chuckle.

"I know, but it's so easy," she replied, exaggerating the "easy" as her mother laughed at her remarks.

"You're just an extremely smart little girl, aren't you?"

"If you say so," she replied, walking ahead of her mother down the familiar hallways that led to the parking garage. Lindsay glanced out the window before exiting the office, watching nasty storm clouds begin to roll in. It was nights like these when she wished Danny was around to take them home and to stay with them through the bad times. Of all the things any normal four year old should fear, Bailey's biggest phobia was storms. Ever since she was an infant, even the simplest of rain clouds irked the small child. The last time there had been a rain storm Danny had been there to distract the little girl until the rainbow crossed the skies outside their apartment. This time, he would be on the opposite side of town, staring out the window watching the rain mirror his own tears as he tried to fall asleep.

Before they had even made it halfway down the hallway, Bailey turned to her mother and informed her that if they didn't find a bathroom now, they were in for one uncomfortable car ride home. Rolling her eyes, Lindsay followed her little girl to the bathroom located conveniently across the hall from DNA. Before she entered, Lindsay caught Bailey's wandering eyes. She stopped as she spotted Danny across the lab; his back was turned and he was intently working on a strand of evidence. She lingered there for a moment before entering the bathroom. Lindsay waited patiently outside for her, watching Danny work. She noticed the fatigue in his move; Don was right, he really wasn't getting any sleep. She sighed as she waited for her little girl, wishing this could all just resolve itself.

Finally exiting the bathroom, Bailey's eyes automatically turned to land on Danny once again. He was still intently perched over a microscope, his glasses pushed up against his forehead as he worked the dials to focus in on his slide. Trying to stall even more, she beckoned for Lindsay to bend down to her level.

"I think I forgot something in Uncle Flack's office."

"Alright, let's go back," Lindsay replied playing along with her daughter's game. As much as she wanted to get home, she wanted exactly what her daughter wanted: to bump into the number one man in their lives. The returned to Flack's office, noticing that Bailey hadn't been lying after all. Her Finding Nemo lunchbox was lying open on top of Flack's desk, a half eaten bag of Cheeto's still inside. Handing the bag of chips to the little girl, Lindsay zipped it closed, threw it in Bailey's backpack, and followed her little girl out the door. Bailey walked in a slower pace, the bag of Cheeto's clutched in her hand as she ate them, slowing her pace even more. She stared into the window of DNA as they passed, growing concerned as she noticed that Danny was gone from the workstation he had previously been occupying. Not watching where she was going, she thudded into a giant figure, sending orange, cheesy puffs flying everywhere as two giant hands steadied her to her feet.

"You okay there kiddo?" an all too familiar voice asked her.

"Danny!" she exclaimed, holding back as she was tempted to fling her arms around his neck. She was still mad at him, but there was no doubt in her mind that she still loved him.

He smiled as he noted the enthusiasm in her voice; maybe he hadn't completely messed everything up after all. "You headin' out?"

"Yeah, I have school in the morning," she replied. "But I have to talk to you, right now."

He quirked an eyebrow at Lindsay who gave him an approving nod, watching as their little girl grabbed his had and pulled him into the nearest office, towards the front of the crime lab. He took a seat in a chair, placing the little girl on top of the desk in front of him. She had a look of determination in her eyes and he could tell that whatever they were about to discuss, she was completely serious.

"Whaddya need kiddo?"

"Well," she began, her eyes wandering. Now that she had him, she wasn't sure it was such a good idea. But she had to go through with it, she knew she did. Hesitantly, she began to speak again. "Danny, do you really cry at night because of me?"

Her question shocked him. Sighing deeply, he responded to her impending question. "Yeah, yeah I do. I think about you everyday kiddo."

"Then why did you leave in the first place?"

Her questions were typical of a four year old: completely straightforward. He had no choice but to give her a straightforward answer. "A very bad man did some terrible things to my family," he started out. "I went away at first because I needed to take care of them. But after that was done, I was still…I was still really upset. This man had done horrible things, and I wanted revenge. So I tried to find him and make him pay for what he did. I didn't want him to hurt anyone else I loved Bailey. I didn't want him to hurt your mommy or you."

"But you didn't even know about me."

"That's true. But I knew one day I would want to start a family with your mommy, and I didn't want him to hurt us. I had to make sure he wouldn't hurt anybody else before I could come back to your mommy. That's why I didn't call her or write to her. I was afraid that the bad man would find out and hurt her. I could never forgive myself if something bad happened to you guys. I love you too much."

"So is he gone for good? Did you take care of him?"

Danny let out a huge sigh. "I tried my best. I tried so hard to find him Bailey, and I finally did. But I couldn't hurt him. I couldn't, because if I did to him what he did to my family, I would be just like him, and I didn't want for that to happen. He's far away now though; that's why I was able to come back. And I found out about you." He reached up and gently stroked her cheek, the little girl blushing at his touch. "Bailey, if anything bad ever happened to you, I would never be able to forgive myself. Do you understand why I had to go now?"

"Kind of," she responded, confusion still written upon her face. "What did he do to your family?"

He hesitated before responding. "Very bad things; things that are unforgivable."

"So why isn't he in jail then?"

"He ran. He wasn't man enough to face what he had done, and he took off," he answered her, trying to control his anger.

"So he's a big old mean scaredy cat?"

Danny chuckled at his daughter's innocence. "Yes, he's a mean old scaredy cat that prevented me from knowing about the most amazing little girl in the world."

She smiled at his comment, knowing that he was telling the truth; she could see it in his eyes.

"You've probably gotta get home though, your mommy's gotta make you dinner and get you ready for bed. She'll have my head if you're not tucked in by eight thirty." He picked the little girl up off the desk and placed her off the floor, relaxing as she grabbed his hand once again. He had missed this, the constant feel of her little heart beating through her touch; it was nice to have her in his life again. They made their way down the hallway towards Lindsay who was waiting with an open elevator to take them to the parking garage. The little girl reluctantly released his hand, stepping back a couple of feet to smile up at him sweetly. A peace offering, he thought to himself. She understood; she wasn't angry at him anymore. They could finally get their lives back on track.

And that's when he saw him.

The man who had wreaked havoc on his life all those years ago; the one who was too much of a coward to face what he had done.

Sonny Sassone was currently staring him down. The cold eyes of the Italian man heated a fire inside of him like no other. The world seemed to move in slow motion. He saw the man raise his hand, the barrel of a gun now staring him down. But it wasn't pointed at him. It was pointed at his little girl. As he heard the shots fired, the only thought that passed in his mind was Bailey. He dove in front of his little girl, her shrill screams being the last thing he heard before his world went dark.

--

**A/N: yes, yes, i know i'm a bitch; the preview was the last line of the chapter, but hey, i like drama !  
trust me, the next chapter will be totally worth it, promise (:**

--

**Next Week in Come Back to Me...**

--

_"Daniel Messer, what the hell are you doing here?"_

"...Mom?"

-----

"Daddy, please don't leave me again." She closed her little fingers around his own and lay her head on his shoulder, her tears falling onto his chest as she silently cried, wishing this was all just a dream.


	21. Chapter 21

**alright, before i start with all the "nicey nicey" i have a bone to pick with some of you; you know who you are. **

**i never intended for this to start fights or be a mean thing, but seriously people, it's just a fanfiction; what i choose to do with the characters is my own choice, if you don't like it, DONT read it. I've gotten so many threatening PM's and comments over the last chapter that i honestly debated not posting this. But you know what, there ARE some people out there who had enough faith in me to wait for the outcome instead of threatening me that it better turn out the way they wanted it to. this was supposed to be a fun way for me to share my own Danny and Lindsay story; something i wanted to share with a bunch of fans. please don't make me stop posting, i love reading all of your feedback, it totally makes my day.**

**too all of you who this doesnt apply to, im sorry you had to read all that, but THANK YOU for all of your support; you guys are the ones who keep me writing.**

**anyway, i hate being mean, so sorry for the rant, but i had to get it out.**

**here's the next chapter, i promise im going to try to keep it happy times from here on out.**

**enjoy (:**

**--mtc.**

Chapter 21

He had to blink his eyes a few times to get used to his surroundings. Pushing up his glasses, he rubbed at his eyes, attempting to rid his sight of the darkness that surrounded him. Finally, a small spot of light was shed in front of him revealing nothing but empty whiteness. He stood in the vast sea of white watching as the light shed on more and more of his surroundings. He took a couple of steps forward, hearing nothing but the loud echo of his own footsteps. He began to grow worried; where was everyone? What was he doing alone in a giant, empty room? And if he had stopped moving, where were those footsteps coming from? He reached for his piece, gulping when he realized he didn't have it. Looking down, he noticed that his badge and cuffs were gone as well. He was dressed in his old Yankee shirt, a pair of jeans and his grey Converse, not exactly the last clothes he remembered having on. Hearing the footsteps again, he this time backed up, growing fearful of what lurked beyond the shadows of…well…wherever he happened to be. The clicking of his mystery visitor's heels grew closer as the sweat beads on his forehead dropped faster. Louder and louder the footsteps became, seeming to back him into a nonexistent corner. Seeing he had nowhere to go, he stood his ground, ready to face whatever was coming for him. Finally, the noise stopped somewhere in front of him. Where exactly he could not judge, but the voice that came from the figure startled him.

"Daniel Messer, what the hell are you doing here?"

He knew that voice all too well. Why he was hearing it exactly, he couldn't figure out.

"…Mom?"

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Everything was going by too fast for Lindsay to keep track of. The gunshot had gone off, Danny had fallen, her daughter's screams had filled the crime lab, and Sonny Sassone had turned and winked at her. At that moment, her heart ran cold. Don had reacted the quickest, gunning the man down only moments after his best friend had fallen. How she got across the lab so quickly she didn't know, but Lindsay was by Danny's side in a matter of seconds, not noticing as Stella grabbed her terrified little girl and ushered her away from the bloody scene. She had seen blood before, she had seen more than any one person should have to see in a lifetime, but to see her Danny's blood spilled in front of her and pooling around her shoes killed a part of her inside. She couldn't get the image out of her head; Danny's dying body was covered in blood that seemed to be gushing out of his chest, the look on his face frozen with fear. His once warm blue eyes were fading fast as the EMT's arrived and hoisted him onto a backboard. As she climbed into the back of the ambulance, she couldn't take her eyes off of him. Everything beyond him seemed to be moving at a much faster pace; sketchy images beyond his body surrounding them. She and he were at a standstill. She could hear each individual beat of his heart, see his eyes blinking in and out of consciousness, focusing in on only her. She could hear the shallowness of his breath as he gasped for air; she struggled as a mask was placed over his nose and mouth. He seemed so helpless.

They arrived at the hospital, Lindsay not even noticing that they had been driving in the first place. Doctors came and went, throwing around random medical terms that, on any given case day she would recognize, but considering her current situation, they were a complete alien language to her.

She remembered a surgeon approaching her at one point, telling her that they had Danny stabilized and that they needed to bring him to surgery; she was going to have to let her death grip on the guard rails go. She could only nod halfway, but she didn't comprehend what he was saying. The doctor gave her a reassuring smile and she felt his cold fingers releasing her own from the rails of the bed they had transferred Danny to. She followed like a lost puppy as a team of doctors and nurses wheeled him towards the giant white doors labeled "Authorized Personnel Only Behind These Doors". A nurse had to hold her back as she tried to gain access, not wanting to leave the love of her life. Up to that point, she hadn't reacted to the incident whatsoever. As soon as the doors closed with Danny behind them, everything seemed to hit her at once. She broke down in the nurse's arms, falling to the ground with tears falling from her cheeks as she tried to wake herself up, still trying to convince herself it was all a dream.

-----------

"Mom?" He couldn't believe his eyes. It had been so long since he had seen his mother in something other than a picture or home movie. She stepped through the darkness, the light making her face glow against the black aura that seemed to surround him. The petite, Italian woman smiled sweetly at her grown son and stepped forward towards him, reaching her arms out for him to take. He gathered his mother up in his arms, tightening his grip; afraid that if he let go she would disappear forever. They lingered in the touching embrace for a while before his mother pulled back, worrying Danny quite a bit. He was afraid that if he let her go, he would never see her again, but her reassuring smile let him know that she wasn't going anywhere.

"Daniel, it's been so long," she said in her motherly voice, comforting him and reminding him of his childhood.

"I've missed ya, ma," he replied, trying not to cry.

"And we've missed you too, Daniel."

"We?" he questioned her. She smiled at him before gesturing to the darkness behind her. Out of the shadows, footsteps started up again. The tall figures of his brother and father appeared in front of him.

"Hello son," the booming voice of his father echoed through the room as his tall figure stepped towards Danny, a hand outstretched.

"Hey Pa," Danny replied taking his father's hand in his own. This is what Bailey must have felt like, he thought to himself, as his father's giant hand seemed to envelope his own. He chuckled as he began to picture his daughter; how would she have reacted to the size of her grandfather's hand? He knew his father wasn't the "hug" type, but he pulled him in anyway, feeling like his eight year old self again; his dad was always there when something went wrong no matter how much he hated hugging. He loved his sons and that was all that mattered.

"Shave that stubble off, you look like a hobo," his father told him as they pulled away. Good ole dad, Danny laughed to himself.

"Don't think you're gonna pass me up little bro," came the thickly accented voice of his older brother Louie.

"Not a chance," Danny chuckled, pulling his brother into a hug. Before long, the older Messer had him pinned to the ground, wrestling like they were ten years old again. Once they had broken up, trying to control their laughter, Danny could only stare in awe. His family was standing here in front of him, joking and laughing like the good old days. He had to wonder, if they had all died four years ago, what did that mean for him?

"Ma, Pa, Louie…I've missed you so much. But…but where am I?"

"We've missed you too Daniel," his mother replied stepping forward. "We've been waiting for the day when we can all be a family again, but I'm a little concerned. You're not supposed to be here for quite a while now."

"Where is 'here' exactly, Ma?"

"You're in Heaven Danny," she replied.

If it hadn't already happened, he would have died right then and there.

-----------

Once Lindsay had calmed down some, a nurse had returned her to the waiting room where the rest of the team was situated, eager for news. Bailey sat in Flack's knee, her head buried in his chest, her eyes red and puffy; her tear ducts were long since drained out. She didn't move at all; her chest only subtly heaving up and down as a sign of life. She had never looked so terrified in her life; it broke Lindsay's heart to see her baby girl like this. She passed through everyone, waving off their condolences and focusing on only her daughter. She gathered the little girl in her arms, the small child clinging to her mother for dear life. Both girls stood in the middle of the hospital waiting room trying not to cry, but pressure had built up and neither could hold back. The team could only stand and watch as mother and daughter grieved over a lover, a father, a best friend. Time would only tell what the future would hold for him, but all prayed that he would pull through. He was such a strong man, a real fighter; he had to pull through this, not only for the well being of the team, but for the family he would be leaving behind if he didn't. He had left them once before, and everyone knew that there were slim chances of a recovery for the people he affected if he left them again, this time permanently.

"Mommy, he's going to be okay, right? He has to be," Bailey said through tears. Such an innocent child, she didn't know the severity of the situation, but she was determined to make certain that her father left that hospital alive. Lindsay looked into her daughter's deep blue eyes; they reminded her of Danny so much, it was hard to keep from letting more tears escape. She could only nod in response to her daughter's hopeful question, fearing that if she opened her mouth, she would lose all control of her emotions.

Eventually, a doctor came through the doors that led to where they had taken Danny for surgery. He stepped into the waiting room, a fake smile on his face.

"My name is doctor DuShane," he said in a half cheerful, yet tired voice. "I came out here to update you on Mr. Messer's case. The bullet is lodged extremely close to his heart; it's a risky surgery but I can do it. My staff and I have repaired the artery that was hit and have stopped all of the major bleeding, but if we don't remove the bullet, further complications can and will eventually arise. As with any surgery, there are risks, but this is Mr. Messer's only chance at living a stable life. Will you allow us to proceed with the surgery?"

There was no doubt in her mind as Lindsay nodded her head. She couldn't—wouldn't—lose Danny again. He had to pull through this.

-----------

"I'm in…Heaven?" he asked, his face turning white as the walls that surrounded them.

"Yes Daniel, you are. As are the rest of us," his mother replied.

"Are you sure?" He tried to remember how he had gotten to this point, but he couldn't seem to make out any details.

"Yeah Danno, you think we're lying?" Louie chuckled as he crossed his arms.

"Son, you suffered a major injury. The doctors were supposed to fix it, so I'm not exactly sure why you're here."

"What do you mean they were supposed to fix it?" he asked. All of this was so confusing to him; he wished it would start making sense. "Does death give you the power to see into the future?"

At this, his mother chuckled. "Daniel, we're not super humans, but we were allowed to know when we would see you again. Today is not that day; we are still far off from that day, which is why I was surprised to see you."

"So, am I dead then? Did I die?"

"All indications would point to a yes, but you're not finished on Earth. Lindsay and that little girl need you more than we do son."

He smiled, thinking of his daughter and his Lindsay. "Wait, how did you know about—"

"Bailey?" his mother finished for him. "We've been watching you Daniel. You're so good with her; she loves you so much. I would hate to take you away from her. As much as we love you son, you're needed much more by your family on Earth than up here."

"So…Why am I here then?"

"You're in surgery right now; the doctors are trying to remove the bullet."

"Bullet?" He strained his memory as far as he could, but he still could not remember how he had ended up on the operating table in the first place.

His mother nodded. "You have to pull through this surgery Daniel. You're a strong man, I know you are. Do it for that little girl." The elderly woman pointed her finger towards what Danny could tell to be an empty wall. All of a sudden, the wall seemed to open up, a projector-like scene opening before them. He could see himself laying on an operating table, doctors and nurses hovering over him. The scene changed before his eyes, images flashing until they landed on his little girl. She was kneeled before a cross in what he guessed to be the hospital church. He watched on as the tears began to fall from his eyes.

-----------

Bailey knew she shouldn't have wandered off, but this was the only thing she thought she could do to make a difference. The adults were busying themselves with files, talking to doctors, and venturing off to get coffee; surely no one would notice if she was gone for a little while, right? She found the small church easily and entered quietly. Although the room was absent of all of other people, she wanted to preserve the silence. She knelt down before the cross at the front of the church and folded her hands. Staring up at the giant wooden figure, she sighed heavily before opening her mouth.

"Hi God, it's me, Bailey. I know I said I wished Danny would never come back again, but I was only kidding. I was just mad at him, but I'm not anymore, I promise. He got hurt really bad, and I was wondering if I could take back what I said so he could be okay. I really don't want him to go away. I love him too much, he's so much fun and my mommy loves him too. If you took him away from her she would be sadder than me even. Please God, please don't take him away from me. I'll give away all my toys and my Flash comic books, and I'll even eat vegetables every night and go to bed early. Just don't take him away, God. Please let him be okay."

A single tear fell down the little girl's cheek and hit the floor. Somewhere up in the sky, Danny's hit at the exact same moment. The little girl would never know how much of an impact she had made on her father, but she had torn him to pieces with her words; she was his reason to fight.

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He reached out to touch the wall, his daughter's image still projected in front of him, trying to wipe the tears that fell from her bright blue eyes.

"I have to get back," he uttered, although he was still choked up over his daughter's words.

"Of course you do," his mother replied, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You have to find the strength to make it through this surgery Daniel, for that little girl and for Lindsay. They need you son. Don't let them down."

The image on the screen changed again, revealing Danny lying on the operating table. His family surrounded him as they watched the doctor extract the bullet, proudly showing it to the rest of his team before placing it in a dish and sewing Danny's lifeless body up. The heart monitor next to the bed began bleeping stronger with every passing minute. The doctor placed a hand on Danny's shoulder at the exact moment his mother did.

Mimicking each other's words, both opened their mouths and told him, "I'm proud of you Danny. Go get your family back."

Uncontrollably, tears fell from his eyes as he turned around in his mother's eyes and pulled her in for a tight hug, his brother and father joining in the touching family embrace. He didn't want to let go, but he felt his brother and father release him, followed by his mother.

"You've led a wonderful life for yourself son. I'm sorry we weren't there to see it," his father told him. "Don't let that beautiful little girl go on living her life without knowing about her family. We love her just as much as you do."

"Absolutely Pop," he replied, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Tell her Uncle Louie says not to let you off too easy," his brother joke, rubbing his knuckles into his younger brother's head before giving him a brotherly hug. He patted his back before allowing the younger Messer to turn around, now facing his mother. She smiled at him, her own tears now falling, before pulling her son in close to her. She could feel his strong heart beating against her own chest.

"You'll do great things Daniel, I know you will. You've grown into such a strong young man. Make me proud son. Raise that little girl well. She and Lindsay love you so much. Lindsay is and amazing young woman, don't you ever let her go. I know I've raised you to treat women with respect, and I know you'll treat her right. I love you son."

"I love you too Ma," he told her through his own tears. He hugged her once more before he turned to face his entire family. He smiled at them warmly and the y returned the favor; the image would forever be engraved on his heart. They began to wave at him, and as he looked down at himself, he noticed his body beginning to disappear. It wasn't his time to go after all. He waited to return back to his real self; he couldn't wait to see his girls again.

He couldn't let them go again.

-----------

As soon as they had released Danny's body from the surgical wing and moved him to a private room in the ICU, Lindsay was right by his side. He was bandaged up under his hospital gown; tubes were sticking out of his nose and his arm was hooked up to an IV pole that stood next to his bed. She took his lifeless hand in her own and kissed his knuckles gently, her tears falling to land on his soft skin.

"What have we gotten ourselves into this time Messer?" she laughed through her tears. She knew he wouldn't respond, but she continued talking anyway. "Bailey really misses you, you know. She's not mad anymore, Danny. She's not mad anymore. She really wants you to pull through this. I mean, if you go, who's gonna read her all those comic books?" She paused and looked at his eyes. They were closed, but she could've sworn she saw them fluttering. "You've got to come back to us Danny. I love you too much, you can't leave us again cowboy." Her pleading words only increased the rate her tears fell. She wasn't sure if she could go on living without him. He was her life, her everything; she and that little girl would be lost without him there to guide them along the way. She laid her head on his shoulder and stayed there for awhile, feeling the comfort of his heart beating close to her own. As long as she knew he was alive, she still had a sliver of hope left in her.

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Don Flack was a mess already, but hearing the words of his goddaughter ringing through the walls of the church just about broke him in two. He had seen her venture off and made it his duty to follow her, becoming a little shocked when they had ended up in front of the church. The words she pleaded were so soft-spoken, true, right from her heart. After letting her be alone for a while, he joined her in a pew, putting his arms around her and letting her collapse into his side.

"He's gotta be okay Uncle Flack, he's just gotta."

"I know sweetie, I know."

"I never meant for something bad to happen."

Confused, he stared down at her worried eyes. "What do you mean monkey?"

"This is all my fault. I told mommy I wished he would never come back. Now look what happened."

He pulled her tighter into his embrace. "No, no, no; none of this is your fault sweetheart, none of it. He would never want to leave you, he loves you and your mommy too much to do that. He's going to pull through this, he won't leave you guys again."

"Promise?" she asked through tears as she looked into her uncle's eyes.

"Promise," he replied through his own tears. She wrapped her tiny arms around his waist as far as they could go and let her tears stain his blood covered shirt.

-----------

Hours had seemed to pass before Lindsay was interrupted by a knock at the door of Danny's hospital room. She slowly lifted her head from where it lay on his shoulder and peered towards the doorway. The tear-stained faces of Don Flack and her little girl stared back at her. She sat up fully and moved herself from the bed she shared with Danny to the chair that she had originated in next to the bed. Led by Don's hand, her little girl jumped into her mother's lap and wrapped her arms around her neck.

"Is he okay mommy?" she asked, lifting her head from her mother's shoulder to look into the older woman's chocolate brown eyes.

She nodded her head. "He's sleeping right now. Do you remember how, after your surgery, you slept for a very long time?"

The little girl nodded her head in response and started over at the sleeping figure of her father. She climbed down from her mother's arms and gently stroked his arm. She wrapped her fingers around his hand and stood there for a moment, just staring at him. Lindsay watched as her little girl traced the side of his face with her fingers ever so gently. Silently, she left the room, meeting Don as she passed through the door frame. He put his arms gently around her as he ushered her away from the room. The little girl needed to be alone with her father, and they would respect that. The closed the door behind them, leaving Bailey alone with Danny.

The little girl sat in the enormous chair that Lindsay had positioned next to the bed. She took Danny's hand again and sat there for a moment before she began to speak.

"Hey Danny…It's Bailey. I'm sorry you got hurt. Uncle Flack says it's not my fault, but I still think it is. I was only kidding when I said I wanted you to go away, 'cause I really don't, I promise. I love you Danny, you can't leave. I would cry at night if you left, just like you used to cry at night 'cause I left." She paused for a moment, her tears falling to hit his hand.

"We have so much fun together. You read me comic books all the time and you took me to Coney Island, and you even tuck me in at night. If you leave, who's gonna do all that fun stuff with me? Uncle Flack can't do Flash voices, trust me, he's tried. You're the only one who can do it. Plus, my mommy loves you too; she tells me all the time. You guys are like Cinderella and Prince Charming, you can't leave her. Then there would be no happily ever after." She brought her face closer to his, kissing his cheek tenderly before the tears began to fall harder.

"Daddy, please don't leave me again." She closed her little finger around his own and lay her head on his shoulder, her tears falling on his chest as she silently cried, wishing this was all just a dream.

Suddenly, she felt his fingers twitch under her own. She perked up, the tears still falling as she looked up into his eyes. They were still closed, but she could see the effort that he was putting into opening him. As they fluttered open, she got the wish of a lifetime. In a raspy voice, barely above a whisper, he began to speak.

"I'm not going anywhere baby."

----

did you really think i was going to kill him ?

i love him too much to do that !

**Next Week in Come Back to Me...**

**"I want you to be my daddy, Danny. I want you to be my daddy, daddy.**


	22. Chapter 22

**so i realize that i havent updated this in like, forever...okay, like 3 weeks, BUT STILL. thats forever in fanfiction time, am i right ? anyhow, you guys are the greatest, so i decided that since i was being so uncool and not updating that i would make this one extra extra long. like seriously, this is the most ive ever written. so im SORRYSORRYSORRYSORRYSORRYSORRYSORRYSORRY for not updating in forever ! :(  
bad mtc, BAAAADD !  
id throw lame excuses at you about having band and having to do homework for 4 AP classes, but i dont think anyone would have any of that bullshit; since when do i do homework ? ahhahaa. anyway, enough of my incessive babbling, on with the show ! eh hem, chapter...**

**enjoy (:  
--mtc.**

Chapter 22

She brought her face closer to his, kissing his cheek tenderly before the tears began to fall harder.

"Daddy, please don't leave me again." She closed her little finger around his own and lay her head on his shoulder, her tears falling on his chest as she silently cried, wishing this was all just a dream.

Suddenly, she felt his fingers twitch under her own. She perked up, the tears still falling as she looked up into his eyes. They were still closed, but she could see the effort that he was putting into opening him. As they fluttered open, she got the wish of a lifetime. In a raspy voice, barely above a whisper, he began to speak.

"I'm not going anywhere, baby."

Everything in the room was a blur to him.

Everything besides his daughter.

He faintly heard the beep of the machines that were surrounding him, could see the bright white of the walls around him, but the only image that clearly stood out to him was the tear stained face of his little girl. The only sound he could clearly hear was the sweet sound of his daughter's voice pleading with him to stay alive. It was her words that had pulled him through. It was as if he was trapped inside his own body, metal bars like a jail cell preventing him from escaping. There was no way out and he didn't have near enough power to break through the bars himself. It was her words that gave him the strength to break free from the prison that had encased him; hearing her call him daddy was enough to make him invincible. He felt her warm, tiny fingers clutching his own, and using all of his power and might, he squeezed back, just enough to reassure her that he was still there; there was no way in hell he would ever leave her again. Though his throat was completely dry, he mustered up enough strength to speak to her, leaving her with a promise that he knew he would never break.

He wasn't going anywhere.

-----------

Bailey couldn't believe her ears.

Had she really heard him speak? Or was she making it all up in her mind?

His reassuring touch made it real for her. Her daddy wasn't going to leave her again, and when he squeezed her hand, she knew it was true. She didn't want to leave him but she knew she had to get a doctor's attention. She quickly remembered when she had been hospitalized after her accident, how the nurse had told her that if she needed anything at all that all she had to do was push the call button that was attached to her bed. Frantically searching around her father's bed, her eyes finally landed on the plastic box. Not letting go of Danny's hand for one second, she tangled her arms around each other so that she wouldn't have to release her grip from his. She repeatedly pressed the red button, finally letting out the breath she had been holding when Danny's nurse rushed in, followed by her mother and Flack, all three adults showing panicked looks in their eyes.

"What's wrong, is everything okay, what happened?" the nurse exclaimed running over to check the various machines that surrounded Danny's bed.

"Nothing's wrong," Bailey replied to the nurse as if she was a complete idiot.

"Then why on earth did you press the call button twenty seven times sweetheart?"

"Bailey, sweetie, what happened?" Lindsay asked, now growing more concerned than she already had been.

"He talked to me mommy. He squeezed my hand and he talked to me," she replied, her eyes glowing and her little lips curled up into a smile. That smile was quickly wiped away as the nurse knelt down next to her and placed a rough hand on her shoulder. Glancing over to the man that was peacefully sleeping in the bed behind the young girl, she tried her hardest not to make her upset.

"Honey, I don't want to make you sad, but I don't think he really talked to you, did he? You just got excited and thought he did, didn't you?" As she saw tears welling up in her bright blue eyes, she regretted breaking the little girl's heart, but continued to explain for her mother's sake. "The squeezing was just a reflex; you will see that a lot with comatose patients. His eyes may blink when you talk to him, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's waking up. I'm sorry sweetie."

"NO!" Bailey protested. "He DID talk to me! He told me he was never gonna leave me again, he really did! And he wasn't lying, I know it!" The tears streamed down her face as the nurse tried to calm her down, but they only seemed to fall faster as she shot down all of her stories.

"Sweetie, I am very sorry that you miss your daddy, but we really don't know how long he will be asleep for at this point."

"Not much longer," came a raspy voice from behind them. "Don't you believe my daughter?"

All heads in the room turned. Although his eyes were still closed, they could see the smirk that was spread across Danny Messer's face. He was weak, but he could definitely muster up enough strength to tell off anyone that dare contradict what his daughter said. He squeezed her hand—that was still clutched in his own—reassuring her that he had her back. Bailey smirked her own smirk at the nurse and turned around to cuddle into her father's side as he used the remainder of his energy to pull her into his side.

As she watched on, Lindsay's own tears were now falling from her face. She made her way to his bed, kneeling down and placing a kiss on his forehead as she cuddled into his other side.

"Don't ever scare me like that again Messer," she laughed through her tears as she saw his grin grow a little.

Seeing that he was, in fact, awake, the nurse checked the machines again and began taking notes on the clipboard that was attached to the end of his bed, rushing out to find the doctor as the family of three had their reunion. Don watched on as Lindsay kissed him on the cheek, taking his hand in her own and entwining their fingers together. Although it would be barely undetectable by any other person, she smiled as she felt the smallest pressure of his hand squeezing her own, reassuring her that he would be there for her always and forever. Seeing this tender family moment, Don figured he could wait to see his friend. He smiled, shaking his head at his friend.

"You just gotta make everything interesting, don't ya Danno?" he said to himself as he walked out the door, ready to tell everyone the good news.

-----------

After several hours of rest, Danny was finally able to be fully awake. It brightened his smile even more to open his eyes to Lindsay and Bailey, the only two people he needed in his life. When the doctor had come in the room while he was resting, both girls had refused to leave his side, insisting that they be present when he woke once again. When he blinked his eyes open, they both sighed heavily before hugging him softly so that they did not injure him further or pop his stitches. Although it was still difficult for him to speak, he tried his hardest, wanting to reassure his girls that he was okay.

"What are you two crying for? I'm right here; I'm not going anywhere, promise."

Lindsay held back the slap she had ready for him and hugged him instead. "We were worried sick about you cowboy. You really had us scared."

"But I'm Danny Messer, not even the Green Lantern could kill me." At this, Bailey giggled, kissing her father on the cheek as he rubbed her shoulder with the hand that was already wrapped around it. Lindsay, however, tensed at the word "kill". She could barely cope with the fact that Danny had left her for four years; if he had died, she wouldn't know what to do with herself. He noted the shift in her emotions, feeling the grip her fingers had on his own stiffen. He pulled her face towards his own, their temples now touching. Looking her straight in the eyes, making sure she could read everything that was going on inside of him, he told her exactly what she needed to hear.

"Lindsay, I'm not going anywhere. I'm here for you, you and our little girl. You don't gotta worry about me; I will never leave you again." He kissed her forehead lightly, looking into her deep brown eyes as he pulled away to make sure she understood. As hesitant as she was to believe him, she knew what he was saying was the truth. He would be there for them from now on, and there was nothing that could tear him away from the people that meant the most to him.

Not even a bullet.

"Promise?" she asked, her voice still slightly shaky. He smiled at her and laughed as well as he could, and then untangled their fingers and wiggled his pinky finger in front of her face.

"Pinky promise," he replied as she giggled back, locking their fingers together like kindergarteners would.

"Good," she laughed. "Because I don't know what I would do without you."

"Well you don't gotta worry about that Montana. I'm not going anywhere. I love you too much." He brought his hand up to her cheek and caressed it lightly, smiling as she blushed at his touch.

"What about me, what about me?" Bailey chimed in, wanting attention from her parents who had been too engrossed in their own conversation to realize that she had been mocking them the entire time. Both Danny and Lindsay laughed lightly.

"Of course I love you monkey. You're my baby girl, I wouldn't trade you for anything in the world."

"Good, because there's something I gotta tell you," she replied secretively. She brought herself closer in to his face so that he could hear absolutely everything she was about to say; she didn't want him to miss anything.

"Alright, what is it?"

Sighing heavily, she began her proposition. "I want you to be my daddy Danny." She stared at him, trying to catch his reaction. The warm smile on his face was enough to keep her going. "I want you to be my daddy, daddy. Please say you'll come home with us."

Before she could say anything further, he wrapped both girls up in his arms as best he could; he could feel the love radiating through the room as he stared at their smiling faces. How had he gotten so lucky? Before he could respond, his doctor reappeared in the doorway, charts in hand ready to administer treatment.

Although they would have rather stayed in the room, Lindsay and Bailey followed doctor's orders and exited back into the waiting area where the remainder of Danny's visitors were still sitting, waiting for answers, much as Bailey was still awaiting the answer to her impending question: would her daddy go home with her? Her thoughts were pushed to the backburner as her mother scooped her up in her arms and held her tightly whispering softly in her ear, "He loves you baby girl, he's not going anywhere."

Knowing that what her mother was telling her was the truth, she snuggled closer into her mother's shoulder as sleep quickly overcame her, falling into a deep dream of better days to come.

-----------

As soon as they received the all clear from the doctors, the entire NYPD Crime Lab staff all but stormed Danny Messer's hospital room. They offered him their well wishes, telling him how grateful they were that he pulled through, telling him that they knew he wouldn't give up; a few cracks were even thrown in along the lines of "I would've killed you if you would've given up on yourself." They all shared laughter and jokes as they basked in the joy of their coworker's stability, but were all soon overtaken by fatigue, and one by one, they said their goodbyes and exited the room, leaving him with only the company of Don Flack; Lindsay had gone off to grab coffee and she had brought her sleeping daughter along with her. The dark haired man pulled up a chair and straddled it backwards next to his friend's bed, offering him a grin as the bedridden man began to speak.

"Don, I gotta ask…What happened to Sassone?" Flack fidgeted uncomfortably in his chair, avoiding his friend's gaze.

"I knew you were gonna ask me at some point Mess, I just didn't think it would be this fast," he chuckled. Danny's eyes sought out Flack's as he searched for an answer. Beginning hesitantly, Flack began to answer his friend's impending question. "I shot him Danny. Instinct took over and I gunned that son of a bitch down. He died on the way to the hospital. The way I see it, justice has been served. I couldn't let him get away with hurting you and your family anymore Danny, I just couldn't. He fired first, and I followed suit. He's not gonna bother you anymore Danny. You can go on knowing that that little girl of yours is safe now." His eyes had been down the entire time he had been speaking; he did not want to stare his friend in the face while he told him that he had taken down the man that had brought so much pain upon his life, because he knew exactly what was going through the young man's head. He knew what thoughts were swimming behind his blue eyes without him even having to open up his mouth: As grateful as he was that the bastard was now gone for good, he had wanted to be the one to put the bullet in his skull. He wanted to be the one to show this man just how furious he was for hurting him the way he had, he wanted to take out all of his wrath on this poor excuse for a life and end it just as he had done to Danny's family.

Danny sighed heavily, his eyes falling from Flack's face to the blanket that was draped across his legs. He thought for a moment before bringing his eyes back up to meet his friend's. "Thank you Don. Thank you for lookin' out for me. And thank you for keeping my family safe." As shocked as Flack was, he knew that it had taken a lot of strength for Danny to thank him rather than lash out at him for doing "Danny's job". Deep down, Flack knew that Danny would go to whatever lengths it took to protect his family, even if that meant letting someone else do the dirty work. Danny would be forever grateful to his friend for doing what he had done. Flack rested a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder and Danny smiled back at him tiredly, sleep beginning to overcome him once again. As if on cue, Lindsay reappeared in the doorway, a sleeping child draped over her shoulder, two cups of coffee clenched in her hands, and a tired smile on her lips. She handed a cup of steaming coffee to Flack who nodded his thanks, and set Bailey down gently in one of the bigger armchairs that was in the corner of the room. The little girl would have been too small for the chair if she was normally sitting in it, so seeing her curled up in a ball made Lindsay giggle, the chair seeming to eat her tiny daughter. She set her own coffee down and bent down to give Danny a gentle kiss on the cheek, surprised when he directed her face towards his lips. Even bedridden in a hospital just hours after surgery, he could still take her breath away.

"Damn Messer, you just got a bullet taken out of you chest, easy on the heart," Flack joked, the three laughing quietly so they would not wake the sleeping child in the chair next to them.

"You're just jealous Flack," Danny shot back in a raspy voice. "You _wish _you could have someone as perfect as Lindsay." He hugged her close as Flack rolled his eyes.

"Danny Messer, I never pegged you a romantic," he said sarcastically back as Danny stuck his tongue out at him. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but the four year old is over there?" Flack replied to Danny's childish action, causing him to do it again, with added emphasis to annoy his friend. Their laughter was interrupted by the reappearance of Danny's doctor, informing them that Danny needed rest, and advising them that they should all do the same.

They gathered their belongings and as soon as Lindsay had repacked Bailey's toys into her backpack, she returned to Danny's side, kissing him softly on the lips.

"Bailey should sleep in her own bed," Danny said softly, shocking Lindsay a bit. Before she could respond, he cut her off. "I'll be fine her Lindsay, I don't want her to have to spend the night here again. Go home, get some sleep."

She smiled at him, hugging him tighter as she whispered softly into his ear. "We'll be back first thing in the morning."

"You'd better be," he joked back, smiling.

"There's no place we'd rather be." She turned around and scooped Bailey up in her arms and returned to her previous place next to Danny's bed. He picked himself up from where he was laying so that he could kiss his sleeping daughter lightly on the cheek.

"I'll see you tomorrow baby girl. I love you." He whispered the words softly into her ears. He knew that she was asleep, but he felt that deep down she had heard what he said. She knew he loved her; he always would.

"I love you Lindsay. Go home and get some sleep. Don't worry about me, I'm not going anywhere," he told her, gesturing to the many wires that were protruding from his arms.

"I love you too Danny." She hugged him once more before seeing the look on the impatient doctor's face and deciding that they should probably leave before the doctor scolded them like schoolchildren.

"I love you too Danny," Flack mimicked Lindsay, bending down to hug his friend obnoxiously.

"I love you too Flackie," Danny joked as his friend laughed and Lindsay rolled her eyes at the two immature detectives.

"We'll see you tomorrow Danno," Flack laughed as he placed an arm around Lindsay. They exited the room, Flack promising Danny that he would see his family home. The walk to the parking garage was silent, mostly due to the fact that all were suddenly overcome by the tiredness that came with lack of sleep. They got the Flack's car and Lindsay carefully strapped Bailey into the booster seat in the backseat, desperately wishing that the child not wake up. She let out a sigh as she closed the passenger side door and glanced back to see her little head slumped over, her eyes still closed, thumb still in her mouth.

"You know, I could always crank the radio up," Flack joked as he saw that Lindsay was pleased with the fact that Bailey was still sleeping. She slapped him in the arm and he began laughing, earning him another slap.

"Don't even think about it!" she screamed in a whispered tone.

"I was only kidding Monroe, calm down," he laughed back at her as she settled back into her seat, glancing back once more to make sure her daughter was still asleep. "She's been through a hell of a lot."

"She sure has," Lindsay replied with a sigh. She was surprised that Bailey hadn't fallen into a traumatic shock after witnessing the shooting, but then again, she wasn't exactly sure of what her daughter had seen. She knew that she and Danny would eventually have to talk to the child about it, but for now, she threw that thought to the back of her mind.

The remainder of the car ride was silent. When they pulled up at Lindsay's building, Flack carried Bailey up to their apartment and helped Lindsay pull her bed down and change the sleeping girl into pajamas, all while trying not to wake her. As soon as they had the tiny child tucked in, they returned to the kitchen, where Lindsay offered Flack a cup of coffee, which he declined.

"You don't need any more caffeine," he laughed, taking the canister of coffee grounds away from her before she could add them to the pot. "Get some rest Linds, he'll be fine. If you stay up all night, you're gonna be tired as hell tomorrow. He needs you fully awake. Although I'm sure he can wake you up himself…"

Lindsay laughed lightly, but then crossed her arms across her chest. "He could've died, Flack. He could have died. I don't know what I would've done with myself if I would've lost him."

Flack wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "You would have continued providing for that little girl, because you know that's what he would have wanted. But you know what? You won't have to find out what that feels like, because he stayed strong for you two. He loves you too much to walk away again. Just remember that Lindsay. He won't leave you again. And if he does, I will personally hunt him down and drag his ass back." She offered him a smile and gave him another hug in return.

"Thanks Don, I needed that."

"No problem," he replied, returning her smile. "Call me if you need anything, okay? I'd offer to stay the night, but I know you would send me home. Plus, Danny would have my ass on a platter if he found out we had a sleepover." He winked at her, earning a laugh. "That's my girl. Now go get some rest. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning around 8."

She smiled at him, nodding in response as he made his way back towards the door.

"Hey Don?" she called after him as he reached for the knob. He found her eyes, signaling that she could go on. "Thanks." He smiled and stared down at his shoes for a second before looking back up at her.

"I've got your back Lindsay. Forever. Life ever throws you something and you don't know what to do, you can always come to me." He smiled at her once more before turning back towards the door, closing it softly so the noise wouldn't disturb his niece that was sleeping a couple rooms over. Lindsay walked down the hall and plopped down onto her bed, gathering one of Danny's shirts that he had left and pulling it close to her. His scent still lingered on the ratty old cloth, and as she lay there taking it in, it was all she could do to keep herself from breaking down. She had almost lost him, and she wasn't sure she would be able to go through losing him again. But Flack's words rang in her head. He was right. She would pick herself up and raise Bailey like he would have wanted her to do. But she wouldn't want to go on raising their daughter without him. From the moment that she had admitted to him that he was Bailey's father, all she could do was picture the rest of their lives together; getting married, taking family vacations together, taking Bailey to her first day of school; the list went on and on. She couldn't imagine him being taken out of the picture. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her cell phone vibrating next to her.

_Text Message from Don Flack:_

_Get some sleep Lindsay. He'll be there when you wake up, I promise. And if he's not, I'm always available ;)_

She laughed at the last line, and realizing that he was right, she changed into a pair of sweats and climbed into bed, laying her head on the pillow that Danny used to use and curling up with his old t-shirt. He would be there when she woke up.

He had to be.

-----------

When Lindsay awoke, she expected it to be by her alarm. Instead, she was shaken from her dreams by the prodding of a tiny finger into her nose. Blinking her eyes open, she realized that the finger belonged to her daughter. The little girl stood in front of her in her Dora the Explorer nightgown, her teddy bear clutched in one hand while the other rubbed at her eyes.

"Where's daddy?"

The words that escaped her daughter's lips almost brought tears to Lindsay's eyes as she scooped the little girl up in her arms and cradled her on the bed.

"Daddy had to stay at the hospital overnight sweetie. We can go back and see him in the morning."

"But I wanna see him now. He has no one to talk to at the hopstickle, he's all alone. We have to go keep him company."

"I know you want to see him now baby girl, but we can't. We have to wait until the hospital lets us see him. Besides, he needs his rest. You want him to get better don't you?"

"Yeah, but I want to see him. Maybe if you kissed his boo boo it would make him better."

Lindsay laughed at her daughter's innocence. "I can try sweetie, but I can't try until morning." She glanced at her clock, the LED lights brightly displaying the numbers 3:48 AM, the green numbers seeming to taunt her. "Why don't you sleep in my bed until my alarm goes off?"

"Okay," the little girl yawned, curling up into her mother's side, taking over Lindsay's pillow as she drifted back off to sleep. Lindsay smiled down at her sleeping daughter, watching her chest slowly rise and fall with every breath she took. She moved a curl out of the little girl's face, tucking it behind her ear before she let her dreams overtake her once again.

-----------

Morning came too soon, and not soon enough. On one hand, Lindsay wished she could have slept longer, but the fact that her alarm was annoyingly buzzing in her ear meant she was that much closer to seeing Danny again. She carefully moved Bailey onto her own side of the bed and tucked the blanked around her shivering body, figuring she would let the little girl sleep a while longer while she showered and got ready. As she let the hot water run over her body, she felt the stress leave her body, washing off of her with the soap and swirling down the drain. She didn't see any point in wasting time on her hair or her outfit; she was spending the day in a hospital. Jeans and a t-shirt were the way to go. Throwing her hair up in a messy ponytail, she walked out of the bathroom ready to wake up her daughter when she almost stumbled over something that was sitting at her feet. Smiling up at her was a fully clothed, teeth-brushed, backpack-clad four year old, rearing and ready to go.

"Did you really think I couldn't hear your alarm mommy? It's louder than Uncle Flack's snoring."

Lindsay could only giggle as her daughter grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the front door. As they walked down the hallway, she noticed that Bailey's backpack was unusually stuffed full of oddly shaped objects.

"Bay, sweetie, what's in your backpack?" she questioned, the detective in her exploring all possible options as to what exactly her daughter could have packed.

"Movies," Bailey replied simply as if there wasn't a problem. As Lindsay further inspected the backpack, she realized that they weren't any DVD they had on the shelf in their living room. They were more along the shape of a VHS tape. And they only had one kind of VHS in their apartment.

"Did you dig up the home movies from under my bed?"

"Mhm," the little girl replied with a nod of her head. "I figured daddy's gonna be bored in that yucky hopstickle room, so I thought he might wanna watch some of my tapes from when I was little."

Lindsay smiled, her heart growing inside of her. She couldn't have thought of a better idea herself. Hearing a knock at the door, she grabbed her purse and keys off the counter and allowed Bailey to open to door, revealing Don Flack holding a cardboard tray with two larger cups and one smaller cup. In his other hand, he clutched a paper bag with a Dunkin' Donuts label on it, which Bailey jumped at immediately.

"Is that for me?!" She grabbed at the bag, Don laughing as she continued to jump for it.

"Calm down monkey. Yes, it's for you, but wait until you get in the car. Mornin' Linds," he laughed through the chaos.

"Good morning Flack," she greeted him back, helping him with the packages before he dropped everything. She followed him to the car, getting Bailey situated in her booster seat with her donut and hot chocolate before handing Flack his coffee and buckling herself in. When they arrived at the hospital, Bailey's face was covered in chocolate frosting and sprinkles. Flack giggled to himself as Lindsay rolled her eyes and pulled out her HandiWipes. Before she could get one out of the plastic canister, Bailey had stretched her tongue around her face, leaving only sticky residue left around her mouth. Lindsay rolled her eyes as Flack's laughing grew harder.

"What?" the little girl asked innocently. Lindsay stifled a laugh, trying not to scold her daughter for "not using a napkin" as she often found herself doing. Given the circumstances, she figured she would let it slide, but she wiped the stickiness from the little girl's face anyway, receiving protest in return. Throwing away the used wipe, she grabbed the little girl's hand and they headed into the hospital. The long walk down the hallway was all too familiar for Lindsay; it was so scary to have to be in the same position to visit her four year old daughter for nearly a week, now coming to visit that little girl's father was equally painful. She kept fearing that when they reached his door, the bed would be empty and made up, a nurse standing in the doorway waiting to break the news that he had passed away in the middle of the night or something horrible.

She let out a huge sigh of relief as she saw his figure sitting up in the bed smiling at her through all of the tubes that were coming out of his face. Bailey immediately let go of Lindsay's hand and ran up to his bedside.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him.

"Hiya kiddo, I missed you."

"I missed you too! Mommy said we couldn't come earlier because the hopstickle people would yell at us, but now we get to see you! I brought you a surprise, wanna see it?"

He laughed at her excitement as she rummaged through her backpack, not waiting for him to answer before pulling out as many tapes as her little arms could hold.

"You brought me movies to pass the time? Awesome," he replied at the sight of the tapes, still trying to figure out what they were through the black outer casings. He couldn't find any labels, and as he stared at them further, he figured out what they were. He smiled up at Lindsay who returned his smile, lifting their daughter up onto the bed to sit next to him.

"Are those what I think they are?" he asked her, trying to play along.

"They're Bailey tapes!" she answered him excitedly, picking one out of the stack and showing it to him proudly. He saw a small white label stuck to the front of the tape, the words "Bailey's 1st Birthday" written across it. His eyes lit up like a child on Christmas as he stared at the never-ending stack sprawled across her lap. Bailey handed the tape off to Flack who was ready to pop it into the tape player, tempted to wait as he saw the eagerness in Danny's eyes. He put the tape in the player and took a seat in the corner, watching as Danny's eyes lit up at the images on the screen.

There was his daughter, just a baby back then, sitting up in a high chair surrounded by his coworkers. A small cake was set in front of her, close enough for admiration but not yet close enough for her to grab at as Mac lit the number 1 candle that was centered on the cake. As everyone began to sing "Happy Birthday", the little girl couldn't decide who to look at. Her head whipped from person to person, back and forth between all of the familiar faces that surrounded her. She giggled and clapped as the song ended and everyone around her began clapping. Lindsay then proceeded to pick the cake up and move it closer to the little girl, showing her that when she blew on the candle, the light flickered. She spewed spit at the cake in an attempt to make the flame disappear, laughter erupting from all of the people in the room. The light seemed to taunt her, reappearing a second time and flickering before her. Even when she was a baby, she got that determined Messer look on her face, and gathering all her breath, she blew the candle out, clapping as the flame disappeared from the candle. Her mother plucked the candle from the frosting and placed the cake on the tray in front of her daughter, making sure her bib was fastened snugly around her neck before letting her attack it. She was hesitant at first, but once she figured out what was going on, her hands landed in the frosting, giggles erupting from her as she waved her frosting-filled hands in the air for all to see, the giggles being returned to her as she did so. As Danny watched on, he could see that her blonde hair was just beginning to grow in, and that she had a couple of teeth popping up. She was little considering her prematurity, but he could tell that she was fighting to catch up. He could see Lindsay in the background; although she was trying to hide it from the rest of the party, he could see the tired look on her face. There were no doubt bags under her eyes, and her hair simply drooped around her face. This person he saw on the television screen wasn't his Lindsay. He saw her wipe a tear from her cheek and step towards her daughter, putting a little bit of frosting on her finger before poking her in the nose, the baby girl erupting in a fit of giggles as she clapped her hands together, frosting flying from her hands. Once they decided that she had played with the cake enough, Lindsay lifted the cake off of the plastic tray while Flack lifted the frosting covered baby out of the high chair. He soon regretted the decision when she grabbed onto his shirt first, covering the Yankees logo with white frosting, then moving up to his face. She placed a hand on either cheek and left tiny white handprints there. He couldn't be mad though, she was his niece, and quite frankly she was the cutest baby he had ever seen. He placed a kiss on her stomach, causing her to laugh more, clapping once again and sending frosting flying everywhere, including on top of Mac's head. As the white goo covered his hair, the entire room fell silent. No one knew what to say until little Bailey interrupted the silence. She motioned for Flack to bring her closer to the older man and very carefully, she scooped the frosting off of his head, placing a kiss on his cheek and clapping again as everyone in the room began to laugh.

Danny watched the remainder of the video in awe, wishing he hadn't missed out on this. He had missed out on so much of his daughter's life, and he had to live every day regretting that. But when he looked over and saw her head resting in his arm with that smile on her face, he thanked God for every day that he had spent with her since returning. He couldn't imagine his life without Bailey or Lindsay. Glancing over, he grinned seeing that Lindsay's smile was exactly the same as their daughter's. He reached a hand out and rested it behind Lindsay, reaching around and rubbing her arm gently as they continued to watch the video. They spent the day like that, the family of three watching home movies, a doctor coming in occasionally to check up on Danny's status. At one point, Lindsay left to get Bailey a snack, seeing as all she had eaten all day had been a donut. As father and daughter sat in silence, she had to find out the answer to her question.

"Daddy, are you gonna come home with us?"

---

**Next Week in Come Back to Me...**

**_"So what do you say Cowboy? Come home with us."_**


	23. Chapter 23

**GOOD NEWS EVERYONE! **

**I found Bailey :)**

**She must have ran off when she saw my enormus pile of homework... *rolls eyes***

**I really don't know if a million "i'm sorrys" is going to be enough, but I really am sorry that I haven't update this in forever! :( Thank you to all of you that have stuck with this story; I promise I'm going to try to get better at balancing this story into my hectic schedule. I tried to make this chapter extra sappy to make up for the lack of, well, anything in the past couple months. **

**enjoy (:**

**--mtc.**

**Chapter 23**

"But mommy, I don't wanna go back!" Bailey argued as Lindsay half dragged the protesting four year old into the giant doors of the preschool, the bright colors and happy faces that filled the walls completely contrasting the pout on her face.

"Baby, you have to go back. If you miss anymore school they'll fail you out!" Lindsay joked in a half attempt to brighten her daughter's mood. As she had expected, the frown remained on the little girl's face.

"I don't care if I never go back to stupid school again, I wanna stay with daddy."

At the sound of those words, Lindsay's heart both dropped and fluttered. Her little girl had become so attached to her daddy and Lindsay couldn't blame her for one second. She stopped pulling the little girl down the hallway of the complex that the preschool was held in and knelt down in front of Bailey, gently resting her arms on her small shoulders.

"Is that what this is about?" The little girl nodded, biting at her lip and avoiding her mother's gaze.

"Sweetie, I know you want to stay with your daddy, but the doctors are taking good care of him. And besides, he wants you to have fun with your friends; it has been an awfully long time since you've been to school and you haven't seen anybody in a while." Noting that her daughter's expression hadn't changed, she thought of an idea. "Would it make you feel better if we called him before you go in?"

With an eager nod from Bailey, Lindsay smiled and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and hit the speed dial for the ICU, pressing the numbers for his room extension when prompted to do so and then handing the phone over to an enthusiastic Bailey. The little girl's bright blue eyes lit up as did the smile on her face as the man on the other end answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi daddy!" she exclaimed, excitement rolling off her tongue.

"Hi princess," he replied in a warm tone as he realized who he was speaking to. "Ready for your first day back?"

"Not really," she sighed. "I wanna be with you," she trailed off in an almost whisper.

"Aww, baby girl, I wanna be with you too. But you gotta go back to school, you've already missed too much."

His answer wasn't what she had been hoping for, but coming from both her mother and father now, she knew it had to be true.

"The doctors'll take good care o' me, promise."

"Pinky promise?" she squeaked.

"Pinky promise," he chuckled back, mimicking the move in the air as he imagined her tiny finger interlocking with his own. She grinned widely on the other end of the line as she did the same, not knowing that they were both simultaneously completing the action.

"Can I come visit you after school?"

"Absolutely. You gotta check with your ma though; make sure she says it's okay." Lindsay laughed to herself; she could hear him on the other end and she was sure he had intended it that way, knowing that there was absolutely no where else she would be when her shift ended.

"Alright, well have a good day at school baby. I love you."

"I love you too daddy," Bailey replied with a new kick in her voice.

"Can I talk to your mommy for a second?"

"Suuuuure," Bailey replied as she handed the phone over to Lindsay, making kissy faces at her as she did so.

Lindsay simply rolled her eyes and giggled as she wedged the phone between her shoulder and her ear, and walked the little girl into the classroom, kissing her goodbye and watching her happily greet her friends before restarting the conversation with Danny.

"Morning Cowboy," she whispered almost seductively into the receiver, making sure she was out of earshot and almost to her car before she opened her mouth.

"Jesus Montana, calm it down over that, these hospital gowns reveal everything," he laughed back, causing her to giggle as well. "So I see our daughter has taken up your trait of always wantin' to be with me," he replied after their giggles had settled. Lindsay rolled her eyes and smiled as she remembered their earlier conversation similar to the one she and Bailey had just had. Only that time, it had been Lindsay begging Danny not to make her go to work that morning so she could spend the day at the hospital with him.

"Shut it Messer, or I'll make sure the entire hospital staff knows just how 'happy' you are that I'm on the phone with you." She had dropped her voice down so low that to the normal human ear, it would be hard to detect. But in Danny Messer's case, he could hear every word crystal clear, and gulped as he began to picture anything to keep his bed sheets from rising around his waist just as the nurse rounded the corner.

_Naked grandma, dead bodies, Flack in a Speedo_, he mumbled under his breath, succeeding in his task as he heard Lindsay burst out laughing on the other end of the line.

"You know Danny, you'd be surprised how hot Flack looks in a Speedo," she joked back.

"Watch it Montana," he replied, although he couldn't help but laugh.

"So I'll bring Bailey by after she's done with gymnastics then?" Lindsay said on a more serious note.

"Actually, I've got a surprise for the both o' you," he replied. She could hear the excitement in his voice, only making her want to turn left at the intersection she was currently sitting at to go to the hospital, instead of turning right to go to the crime lab.

"Oh really?" she asked in reply, feeding his intent to hook her in, which had obviously worked.

"Yes really," he smirked back, folding his arms across his chest as though she could see what he was doing.

"Are you going to tell me what it is?"

"You'll just have to wait and see." She knew that was going to be his response, and as much as she would have loved to flirt the answer out of him, she knew his personality, and she knew she wouldn't know what his "surprise" was until it happened.

"Well, I've gotta go," she sighed as she pulled into the parking garage at the crime lab. "Where do you want us to meet you then?"

"Just come here after your shift."

"What about Bailey?" she asked growing confused.

"Don't worry about it, it'll all make sense once ya get here. I love you Lindsay."

"I love you too Danny." She smiled like a teenager at his words, but they really did make her heart soar as much as she claimed they did. Closing her phone, she scanned her badge at the door and made her way to her empty office, the enormous stack of files ready and waiting to greet her as she opened the door. This was going to be the longest shift of her life.

-----------

"Hey Monroe, you look like you're havin' fun," Don Flack said as he entered her office four hours later, coffee in hand. She offered him a weak smile before dropping her pen and putting her head in her hands. Flack set the coffees down on Danny's vacant desk and pulled his chair in front of Lindsay's, straddling it backwards so that he was facing her.

"What's wrong kiddo?" She looked up from the file she had recently abandoned.

"Paperwork sucks," she replied dryly. Flack laughed, causing her to hang her head and then throw it back in frustration.

"I know the feeling," he chuckled. "I was stuck on desk duty for a month and a half after my accident."

"I guess I can't really talk then, huh?"

Flack chuckled again, reaching his arm out and grabbing the coffees he had set down and handing one to her.

"Thanks Don, I needed this," she said as she nearly chugged the beverage, not even wincing at its heat as it ran down her cool throat. "So, do you have any idea what this so called 'surprise' that Danny has planned for us is?"

Flack put his head down, trying to hide his grin, but knowing that he wouldn't be able to shield his expression from another detective.

"Donald Flack, tell me!" she exclaimed, a smile spreading across her face.

"No can do Lindsay, strict orders from the man himself that I cannot reveal any of his secret plotting." He had turned the chair around the right way and propped his feet up on her desk, the chair leaning on its back two legs, his hands clasped behind his head, smirking. Seeing his compromised position, Lindsay lifted her hand in a threatening gesture to tip him over.

"You wouldn't," Don shot at her, his smirk growing.

"Oh, I would. You don't mess with a country girl," she smiled, a threatening glint in her eye. With that, Flack repositioned the chair so that all four legs were on the ground and he was steady so he was no longer in danger of being flipped.

"Can you at least give me a hint?" she sighed in defeat.

"Nope," he grinned back, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Men," she groaned. He chuckled as he got out of the chair and put it back in its rightful place behind Danny's desk, patting Lindsay on the shoulder as he made his way back towards the door.

"Well I've gotta get back to work, but don't worry, it's a good surprise."

She half smiled up at him as she once again buried herself in her files. Out of the eighteen folders that had started out, she had finished three and a half. Resting her head on the incomplete pile like a pillow, she began to doze off, sleep catching up with her from all those nights she and Bailey had spent at the hospital at the little girl's request. Of course there had been no objections; Bailey got to spend more time with her father and as soon as the little girl had fallen asleep in the cot that had been permanently wheeled into his room, Lindsay would sneak into Danny's hospital bed and they would make out like two teenagers sneaking around their parents. Eventually they would fall asleep in each others arms and for those moments, it was just the two of them lying together in heaven. As she dozed off, her dreams took her back to his arms. Right before her eyes finally closed, she caught the numbers on the clock; 12:07. Only two more hours and her shortened shift (thanks to Mac's rules) would end.

She wanted to fight to keep her eyes open and finish up her work, but the sleep overtook her, sending her back to the familiar scent of Danny's shampoo, the feeling of his hand in hers, his lips crashing down to meet hers in a furious kiss…

-----------

"Now remember, take it easy. No going back to work for at least another two weeks, stick to your medicine schedule, and—Danny, pay attention to this one: No sex, for at least another three weeks."

As he finished filling out the rest of his release forms, Danny chuckled at his nurse's instructions. Of course he would follow them, but he couldn't help but mess with her one last time. Nancy had been such a sweet lady to him and his family, he could at least leave her with a few more laughs.

"Aww, so our date Friday night's off then?" he replied with an exaggerated sad expression. The older lady smacked him with the chart she had in her hand and smiled.

"We're going to miss you around here Danny," she admitted pulling him into a hug. "The interns are going to have nobody to flirt with."

He smiled back and returned her hug, only slightly wincing as his bandage rubbed against her frail body.

"That's okay with me, I've already got the women in my life that I need."

"And they are both precious," Nancy replied. "Hold on to them Danny; you don't want to let your family go."

"You don't have to worry about that, I'm not lettin' them go anywhere," he smiled back, thinking about his girls. Nancy smiled at him once last time and handed him his prescriptions.

"Ready to go Danno?" Flack quipped from behind him, having just arrived, his keys in hand.

"Yes," he replied eagerly. "Let's blow this joint."

Flack laughed as he followed his friend to the elevator to the parking garage where his Avalanche was parked.

"So, Lindsay ask you about what I have planned?" were the first words out of his mouth as soon as they had gotten into the car and began pulling out.

"Yes." Flack laughed at his friend's eagerness; he was like a teenage boy trying to secretly ask a girl to prom.

"And does she have any idea?"

"Not a clue Mess, you're fine," he laughed back, focusing on the road. A couple miles down the road the crime lab was in sight. His heart skipped a beat. It had only been a day since he had seen his girlfriend, but the fact that he had only seen her in the confines of a hospital bed for the past three weeks had almost driven him crazy. He nearly jumped out of the car before Flack had even fully put it in park and took the stairs two at a time, already breaking rules number one of his recovery schedule: no strenuous activity. But what did he care? _Danny Messer never followed rules_, he laughed to himself. The door to his office was partially open and he could hear the ticking of the small clock on his desk, but no other noise. Straining his ears, he finally picked up what he was trying to find: slow, steady breathing. Automatically, he processed this information in his brain and chuckled under his breath: She was sleeping. He quietly crept up behind her and wrapped his arms around her through the back of the chair. He pressed his lips softly to her hair and kissed her, taking in the scent of her vanilla shampoo.

"Montana, wake up," he whispered. He felt her jerk suddenly and when she turned around, her eyes almost bulged out of her head.

"Danny!" she exclaimed, not knowing whether she should be afraid or throw her arms around his neck. She chose the second option before the first and he scooped her up, placing a trail of kisses on her face.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, the fear now setting in. Why was he out of the hospital, standing in front of her? Had he snuck out? Was he going to have a sudden heart attack and bleed out right in the middle of their office?

"They released me," he replied with a grin, kissing her on the lips this time, feeling the grin spread across her lips as he did so.

"That's fantastic!" she said as soon as they pulled away. She pulled him into a hug and they lingered there for a moment before he gently released her so he could see her face.

"Was this a nice surprise?" he asked in a low, warm voice that sent chills up her spine.

"It was a great surprise," she replied. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the clock and realized for the first time just how late she had overslept.

"Oh my god, Danny, we have to go pick up Bailey!" He laughed, reaching for her arm before she could make a hurried dash out the door.

"Linds, relax, it's Monday, remember? She has gymnastics from 3-5, we've got time." It was only 3:34 from what she read on the clock and she let out a breath as she let him pull her back into a tight embrace.

"Whaddya say we go grab some food and then head over there together?"

She smiled as she grabbed his hand, grabbing her purse with the other and slinging it over her shoulder as she shut the lights off in their office. He closed the door behind them as they walked hand in hand to the parking garage; their arms completely flesh against one another as they tried to be as close as they possibly could.

-----------

Forty-five minutes later, they were walking hand in hand in Central Park, Lindsay holding a vanilla ice cream cone as Danny tried to steal a lick. She teased it in front of his face before finally giving in and tilting the ice cream towards his face. Before he could get his tongue into the cold substance, she shoved it into his nose, giggling like a child as she did so. He gave her the puppy dog look, but that was quickly wiped from his face as she began to kiss the ice cream from his face. He pulled her face from his cheek down to his mouth and kissed her softly, just lingering in her taste of both vanilla and pure passion.

"You'd better be careful Montana," he whispered huskily. "Doctor says no sex for at least three weeks. You keep that behavior up and you might make me go into cardiac arrest right in the middle of the park."

She blushed at his words and kissed him quickly on the lips before glancing at her watch and noting the time.

"We'd better head back, Bailey gets done in a half hour and you know how bad rush hour traffic can get." He nodded in agreement and latched his fingers into hers, the skin burning between them despite the cold ice cream in her hand.

-----------

It had been almost the full two hours that the gymnastics class lasted and Bailey was still standing in the doorway refusing to enter. As soon as she had approached the doors and gazed into the room, her memories caught up with her and the fear of getting hurt again surged through her bones, freezing her Converse-clad feet to the floor before the gym. One of the gymnastics teachers had sat with her, not wanting to leave a four year old unattended in the doorway to the building, and tried to coax her into joining the other children, but she refused, her blank stare permanently fixed on the rings she had previously fallen from. Of course all of the other children looked safe and they appeared to be having fun, but she just couldn't bring her self to enter that room again.

It was nearing the end of class and the teachers that were still inside were ushering all of the other children to line up at the rings as the parents slowly began to arrive. Bailey glanced around wondering where her mother was; maybe if she showed up early they could just get out of that dreadful place. She bounced impatiently on the balls of her feet as her instructor gave one last feeble attempt to get her to participate.

"Bailey honey, are you sure you don't want to come in? Look, all of the other kids are having fun. Nothing bad is going to happen to you, I promise."

She shook her head exaggeratingly and clutched onto the door handle as if the woman was going to attempt dragging her into the line. The woman let out a sigh in defeat and gave Bailey a weak smile before standing up and motioning for her to sit on the bench just inside the door so that the parents could get in. Bailey sat down on the hard plastic, placing her gym bag next to her, and began to swing her feet back and forth, staring at the perfectly knotted laces that her mother had done up that morning. Although she had made a silent promise with herself not to watch the other children participating in the end of class activities, she could still hear the laughter that echoed throughout the complex, the whispers between her friends, and the overall fun that she remembered. She sighed, knowing that there was no way she would be able to bring herself to go out there, and began twiddling her thumbs, when her thoughts were interrupted by the voice of reassurance she had needed so badly.

"Doesn't look like there's much action goin' on at this bench," Danny whispered into her ear. Her little head popped up and her eyes widened as she whipped around and jumped into his arms.

"DADDY!" she exclaimed as he twirled her around in the air. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too monkey." She pulled away from the tight hold she had around his neck and he smiled when he saw the bright look on her face staring back at him. Glancing to the side, he could see Lindsay's equally beaming expression, but he could also see her mouthing words of precaution; her "be careful" making him feel safe and loved. Automatically, he adjusted Bailey so that she wasn't rubbing up against his bandages.

"How are you here?! Aren't you supposedta be in the hopstickle?"

"I broke outta that joint," he joked. "I couldn't stand bein' away from you and your mom any longer." She beamed at his words, looking over at her mom to make sure she heard his words, turning her attention back towards Danny when her mother nodded with a smile.

"So why aren't ya out there kiddo?" Danny questioned. Bailey's face fell as she sheepishly shrugged.

"I dunno," she whispered, avoiding his gaze. "I…I guess I'm just scared I'm gonna get hurt again."

"Hey, hey now, don't think like that," he said in a soft voice. "I'm here now sweetheart, and I promise, _nothing_ is going to hurt you from now on."

She slowly lifted her eyes back up towards his, smiling as she gently hugged him.

"So whaddya say? Wanna get in line?"

"Yeah!" she exclaimed, a new confidence surging through her. She jumped out of his arms and whipped off her Converse and her sweats, leaving her standing in the most adorable pink leotard Danny had ever seen. She grabbed his hand and clutched on for dear life as Danny led the way towards the line. As they approached her teacher, Bailey spoke through the fingers she was chewing on.

"Welcome back Bailey," Maggie, one of her teachers, said enthusiastically.

"Hi," she whispered, still chewing on her fingernails.

"Bailey would like to try the rings out," Danny said easing some of Bailey's nervousness.

"Well of course she can," Maggie replied, ushering Bailey up to the front of the line.

As soon as she got up to the rings, her head whipped back to Danny standing only a few feet away.

"It's okay sweetheart, I'm right here," he said calmly, taking one stride to reach where his daughter was at. Maggie and the other spotter nodded at him as they moved out of the way, allowing him to be solely in charge of her. Bailey's nerves eased as her father bent down next to her, wrapping his hands around her tiny ear.

"Ready?" he whispered. She nodded one quick nod in response.

"Let's do this," she replied with a new confidence in her voice, determined to defeat the "monster" that was the rings in front of her. Danny lifted her into the air and waited until her hands were firmly clasped onto the rings until he let go, only stepping back enough to leave a tiny space so that she still had a security blanket. She began to swing, her death grip on the rings causing her knuckles to turn white. But she was determined to finish this out, and she wouldn't stop until it was over.

Using her legs, she swung her self back and forth until she had enough momentum to propel herself in a full circle. Danny watched her, holding his breath and extending his arms, ready to catch her if she fell. But she was strong, and as she made it around, hands still clasped to the rings, the terror drained out of his body and was replaced with a smile that began spreading through his cheeks. The entire gym erupted in cheers as she let her swinging settle enough for Danny to pick her up and swing her around in the air.

"I knew you could do it," he told her as he pressed a kiss to her little head. He set her down on the ground and watched as she high fived her friends and gave hugs around the room. Lindsay snuck up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder as best she could, considering their height difference. He leaned into her embrace and they watched together as their daughter gained a new brightness to her cheeks. It had been so long since she had had a real moment of happiness; after her accident, her outburst with Danny, and the incident at the crime lab, she needed this. As the excitement died down, she waved to the last of her friends and then turned around, smiling as she darted for her parents and threw her arms around their legs.

"We're so proud of you Bay," Lindsay beamed, hugging her daughter.

The little girl ran to the bench and put her shoes on her feet, sticking her legs straight out as a signal that she needed them tied. Lindsay took the left foot while Danny took the right, and Bailey found amusement in the fact that they were racing to see could get their shoe tied first, giggling at the looks they shot each other. She hopped off of the bench, threw her sweats back on, and hoister her gym bag over her shoulder before taking one of her mother's hands and one of her father's. As they neared the door of the gym, she suddenly stopped in her tracks, remembering her question that had gone unanswered back at the hospital a week or so before.

"What's wrong Bay?" Danny asked as he became startled with his daughter's sudden stop.

"Daddy, where are you gonna live?" she asked simply. He glanced from Bailey to Lindsay, and back to Bailey again.

"Why don't you come live with us? You already sleep in mommy's bed whenever you come over." Lindsay stifled a giggle as Danny's face turned bright red. He glanced over at his girlfriend and her smile eased him.

"So what do you say cowboy? Come home with us."

He beamed.

It wasn't a question, it was an order. _Come home with us_.

His daughter's eyes stared up at him, waiting for an answer. Scooping her up with one arm and placing the other around Lindsay's shoulder, he smiled at the both of them.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

-----------

It hadn't taken long for them to gather the couple of boxes he was keeping at Flack's house, and after unpacking his clothes and putting them back in their rightful place in the dresser he and Lindsay once again shared, the family of three had a nice quiet evening enjoying pizza in front of the television while they watched Monster's, Inc. Bailey had fallen asleep halfway through the movie, half of her pizza left on her plate, her head resting in Danny's lap. He gently picked her up not wanting her wake her, and carried her to her room. Laying her down as carefully as possible, he covered her with her Yankees blanket and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Goodnight sweetheart, I love you," he whispered into her ear. As he turned out the light he just stood there for a moment, watching his daughter's chest rise and fall. He smiled as he turned around, nearly running over Lindsay.

She pulled him into a hug before pulling his face down to her own and kissing him gently.

"I love you Danny," she whispered, making him smile even more than he already was.

"I love you too Linds."

They walked across the hall to their own bedroom and readied themselves for bed, Danny now adding the tedious task of taking his meds that were neatly laid out across the counter to that list. As he climbed into bed with her, he wrapped his arms around her body and breathed in her scent, kissing the back of her head before she turned around in his arms and kissed him goodnight. She cuddled into his chest, the sound of his heartbeat sending her into a deep sleep.

As he lay in the darkness he watched the moon catch light of her face, making her seem almost angelic. He couldn't hold back his smile. He stared around the room and realized that he had his life back. They were in _their _bed, in _their _home, with _their _daughter sound asleep across the hall. He hugged Lindsay's body closer to his and fell asleep with a smile on his face.

**---**

**Next time in Come Back to Me...**

**"_You heard me: I wanna take you on a real first date."_**


End file.
